Collective Freedom?
by MavFan
Summary: This story is the sequel to Reporting for Duty. Naomi Wildman and Icheb are serving together on the USS Lindbergh under Captain Ezri Dax.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established on the show. The story and original characters are mine. I'm not making any money from this.

Author's Note: This is a sequel to Reporting for Duty, my previous Naomi & Icheb story. This first installment is just my way of getting back into writing after my vacation. This is just a short little prologue for the upcoming story, which takes place immediately after the events in Reporting for Duty. Thanks for your patience!!!

* * *

After a pleasant dinner with Doctor Franklin, Icheb and Naomi adjourned to Icheb's quarters to discuss strategy for tomorrow's meeting with Captain Dax.

"Icheb, how much trouble do you think we are in?"

"I have no idea. I have never been the direct subject of Captain Dax's ire before. However, from my observation as well as stories I've heard, she can be quite acerbic on occasion."

"Do you think this will be such an occasion?"

They were sitting side by side on Icheb's couch and before he answered, he put his arm around Naomi and pulled her head onto his shoulder, "I'm afraid so."

"What are we going to do?"

"That depends. Mostly I think the Captain will be letting us know what we can and can't do, should and shouldn't do. Perhaps it would be best if I answer any direct questions from her."

"I suppose so, as long as she doesn't get the impression I have nothing to say about this."

"Well, that isn't the impression I am trying to convey. I just think since she has known me longer and I am the ranking officer, I should do most, not all, of the talking."

For the next hour, the two Starfleet officers speculated as to what the nature of the meeting would be, and how they would handle the eventualities they came up with.

When Naomi got back to her quarters, she wasn't surprised to see her roommate, Mary Melody waiting up for her.

Mary was positively smirking, "So, when's the wedding? Can I be a bridesmaid? That is, of course, assuming the Captain doesn't have you both shot at dawn."

"Lucky for me Starfleet frowns on summary executions."

* * *

Ezri sat in her ready room dreading 0800 hours. She had been in a state of agitation most of the previous evening. She couldn't decide if she had been duped by her first officer into bringing his girlfriend on her ship, or if the situation with Ensign Wildman was a new occurrence. Whichever was the case, something had to be done about it. 

The door chime sounded, announcing the arrival of the happy couple, happy for now anyway. Ezri composed herself, squared her shoulders, put on her "Captain's face," and bade them enter.

"Please sit down," at this she gestured to the chairs facing her desk. Once they were seated, she continued, "First thing, officers in uniform do not hold hands in public."

As her opening shot hit them, Icheb and Naomi looked properly abashed while simultaneously replying, "Aye sir." They were well aware holding hands in public was inappropriate, but their hand holding display the previous evening was more a matter of expediency than a deliberate breech of protocol. The ploy had obviously worked since the Captain had already heard about it.

"Where shall I start? Do they still teach an Ethics and Officer Conduct class at the Academy? If so, did you both fail that class? From what I can tell you are both guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer, disregarding the rules regarding fraternization between superior officers and their subordinates, misuse of Starfleet property, specifically the Ruth Elder, getting an omnipotent being to arrange for you to spend time alone, and bad judgment all around. Also, Icheb I believe a case could be made against you for using undue influence with your superior officer in order to get your girlfriend posted on this ship."

"Yes sir, but we didn't get Q to do anything…"

"I don't care. Have you ever heard the phrase 'The appearance of impropriety'? This situation positively screams appearance of impropriety."

"Yes sir, I can see how one might see it that way, but really that isn't the case at all."

"What about the word _appearance_ do you not understand? No matter what the case is or isn't, it _appears_ as if I have been blindsided by two of my officers, most especially my first officer."

"Captain, let me assure you…"

"Right now, Icheb, your assurances aren't worth very much to me. The fact is you have both created a situation on this ship which has the entire crew gossiping like a group of teenage girls. I had been giving you the benefit of the doubt, knowing how rumors can sometimes have no basis in reality. However, that was before I arrived in the shuttle bay yesterday, deeply concerned about two members of my crew who had been missing for hours, I find said officers holding hands and looking like a couple of lovebirds.

"I assume you both realize pursuing this relationship will call for some ground rules?"

Icheb and Naomi again answered simultaneously, "Aye, sir."

"Good, let me reiterate, there will be no public displays of affection; no hand holding, hugging, kissing or the like, especially when in uniform, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Icheb and Naomi were getting into a smooth rhythm with their answers.

"You will never be assigned to an away mission together again. Any project on which Ensign Wildman works, she will report to Slor or someone else in Stellar Cartography. She will never report directly to you Icheb. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, now get out."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and all characters established on the show. Original characters and story are mine. I am making no money from this.

* * *

As a result of Icheb and Naomi's discussion the previous evening, they had devised an exit strategy. Literally. When they left the Captain's ready room, they didn't speak to each other, look at each other, or even acknowledge the other's existence and both headed directly for their posts. As the turbolift doors closed in front of Naomi, she could hear Icheb calling for a status report.

Alone in the turbolift, Naomi was confused by their meeting with the Captain. She expected the lecture on conduct as well as the ground rules regarding their future work. What she hadn't expected was the one sided nature of the meeting. The Captain didn't want to hear anything from them, and Naomi couldn't decide if this was good or bad.

* * *

When she got to Stellar Cartography her boss, Slor, called her into his office. "Have a seat Ensign." Naomi sat and tried to guess the reason she has been called to Slor's office. Naturally, she found no clues from Slor's expressionless Vulcan face. "Ensign, I wanted to let you know, I received a memorandum from the Captain detailing guidelines for you. They are quite specific and somewhat unusual. May I infer from this memorandum, the rumors I have heard regarding you and Commander Icheb are true?"

"Yes, sir, but it will in no way affect my work."

"See that it doesn't. I don't normally question members of my staff about their private lives, but this situation calls for a different approach. I have been very pleased with your performance thus far, and I expect that to continue. Did the Captain go into specifics with you about the guidelines she has set down?"

"No, sir, she just gave us a rough idea."

"Then I won't be going over this with you unnecessarily. I dislike wasting time doing something which has already been done. First, you will only report directly to someone in this department, or the Captain herself." Naomi was startled, she hadn't imagined she would ever have to report to the Captain. "This surprises you, Ensign?"

"Yes, sir. I just assumed I would report to you or someone else here in Stellar Cartography."

"For the majority of the time you will. However, if you are assigned to a project which entails duty on the bridge, you will report to the senior Stellar Cartography officer on the bridge. In case you are ever the only officer from our department on the bridge, you report directly to Captain Dax. Is that understood?"

"Aye, sir."

"I assume she informed you that you and Commander Icheb will never be assigned to an away mission together?"

"Aye, sir."

"It really isn't that unusual. It is common practice not to send married couples on away missions." At this, he hesitated. "I am not, of course, implying you and Commander Icheb are, or are considering…" He just let the sentence hang and Naomi could plainly see he was uncomfortable with the subject.

"I understand, sir."

"Good, non-Vulcan bonding rituals have always confounded me. Obviously you won't be assigned to any projects which would require you to work with Commander Icheb directly. This may limit your activities somewhat, but not unduly. There is still plenty of work to be done around here. The rest of the memorandum simply restated the basic rules of conduct for crew fraternization, and the Captain wanted me to make sure you understood that you would be held to these rules. Have you any questions Ensign?"

"No sir, it's very clear."

"Good, I trust we won't have to have anymore of these discussions."

"No sir."

"Very well, dismissed."

* * *

The rest of the day, Naomi was busy with work. After her shift she and Mary were going to meet for dinner in the Mess Hall. Naomi arrived first, but she went ahead and ordered her food, and found a table. Mary arrived only moments later. After Mary and Naomi had eaten a few bites, Mary asked Naomi the question everyone on the ship had been eager to ask her. "So, what happened with the Captain?"

"Well, we got a lecture, accompanied with some guidelines for our future interactions."

Mary immediately began laughing so hard, she almost choked on her food. From behind Mary a kind voice asked, "Do you need medical assistance Ensign Melody?" The Doctor and Icheb had just arrived next to the table.

"No sir, something Naomi said made me laugh a bit too hard."

Doctor Franklin pulled out a chair and asked Naomi, "What's so funny?"

Naomi was just shaking her head, "I really don't know. I wasn't attempting to be funny."

Icheb looked down at the three seated officers, and asked in his most polite tone, "May we join you?" ignoring the fact that Todd had already joined them.

This started Mary laughing again, and Todd replied with a false formality, "Yes Commander, you are most welcome. So, what did she say that was so funny?"

Mary looked nervously from Icheb to Naomi, "Well, it wasn't really funny. Like she said she wasn't trying to be funny. Just the way she said it."

"For crying out loud Mary, what did she say?" Dr. Franklin was losing his patience with her.

"It's only, well, I asked her about the inquisition with the Captain. Just the way she said it; 'guidelines for our future interactions.' It just struck me as funny." When Todd let fly with a healthy chortle, Mary began laughing again as well.

Icheb was perplexed, "I don't understand why that is so funny. The Captain just wanted to let us know the rules."

Naomi leaned closer to Icheb, but not enough to constitute a public display of affection, "I think both of them have intentionally misinterpreted my words in order to put the most salacious slant on my statement."

Icheb looked at both Mary and Todd, then asked them, "Is that what you have done?"

Mary and Todd just looked at each other and laughed even harder, but not without nodding their agreement with Icheb's question.

Icheb ignored the others laughing and addressed them directly in attempt to change the subject somewhat. "I'm glad the two of you are here with us to eat dinner. It's probably a good idea to have…" he seemed to be groping for the appropriate word, "chaperons while we are in public. If we are seen alone together, it could be interpreted that we might be flouting the Captain's edicts."

Naomi and Icheb's combadges beeped simultaneously followed immediately by the Captain's voice, "Commander Icheb and Ensign Wildman report to my ready room immediately."

As they stood up, Dr. Franklin asked, "Geez, now what have you two done?"

Naomi sounded truly perplexed when she answered, "I have no idea."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount still own Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I am not making money.

Special Thanks to Firewolfe whose suggestion became the inspiration for this story. Also to my husband and all his fantastic ideas!

* * *

Before the doors to the ready room closed, Icheb began, "Captain, we…" 

Ezri held her hand up, "Belay that Commander. I have just received a communiqué from Starfleet outlining a situation which somewhat resembles the situation your friend Q created. Before I deploy this ship and crew on what may end up being a joke from a member of the continuum, I want to know if there is any way we can get an assurance from Q this situation is legitimate."

"We can try." Both Icheb and Naomi shouted as loudly as possible, "Q!!!!!!"

Ezri didn't seem amused, "I could have done that."

Q Junior appeared accompanied by the familiar flash of light. "Yes, Captain, you could. But since you are not one of my closest friends, no offense, I probably wouldn't answer."

Captain Dax addressed the newcomer, "No offense taken."

Icheb smiled at the appearance of one of his oldest friends. "Q-ball, did you…"

"Not me this time. I promise."

"What about…"

"Nor was it my Dad, nor any other member of the Q Continuum."

"Really?"

"Itchy, I swear it. This situation is entirely real."

"Glad to hear it."

"Now if you don't mind, I was very busy. Always good to see you Miss Wildman."

Naomi responded, "Good to see you as well."

Without further ado, Q disappeared.

"Commander, how much faith have you in his assurances?"

"I have no reason to doubt his veracity."

"Good, now we can discuss the situation. Once you find out what is going on, you'll understand why I was suspicious of involvement by the continuum.

"Starfleet has received a distress signal. We are to depart immediately to meet with a special consultant to investigate. The distress signal was from a group of Borg and the consultant who is to join us in Seven of Nine."

"That explains a great deal."

"I thought it would, Commander. We should rendezvous with Seven of Nine's high warp shuttle in 3 hours. She will have the complete details of the upcoming mission. Ensign Wildman, if you will excuse us, Commander Icheb and I have some mission specifics to discuss."

Naomi replied, "Aye, sir." She turned and exited the ready room in her most correct Starfleet fashion, without looking back to see how Icheb was taking the news they were to be joined by a member of the Voyager family.

When she returned to the Mess Hall, Todd and Mary were still sitting at the same table. As she approached them, both the doctor and her roommate were obviously eager to find out what happened.

"Don't worry, we aren't in trouble. The Captain just received new orders and she wanted to confirm they were real."

Mary asked, "Why would she doubt them?"

"They were similar to the 'orders' she received when Q sent us all on a wild pitcher plant hunt. Doctor, you will be thrilled to learn Seven of Nine will be joining us soon."

"Really? I can't wait. I've always wanted to meet her."

Mary rolled her eyes at this, "Of course you have Doctor. You're only slightly obsessed with Voyager."

Todd muttered under his breath, "More than slightly." He asked Naomi, "When will she be here?"

During this brief discussion, attention in the Mess Hall was diverted to the view out the windows, the Lindbergh had suddenly jumped to warp.

"To answer your question Dr. Franklin, we should meet her shuttle in about 3 hours."

"Great! I think it's time to drop all the formality. Call me Todd."

"I'll try, but I don't want to get a reputation for being overly familiar with the senior staff."

Mary once again broke into a laughing fit. "A bit late for that don't you think? You are definitely on very familiar terms with the first officer."

Todd came to Naomi's defense. "Exactly, and since Icheb and I are such good friends, it stands to reason I will be seeing Ensign Wildman socially quite frequently. Therefore, she should feel free to call me Todd."

"Fair enough Doc… Todd, but you must call me Naomi."

"Naomi it is."

"And you may both call me her majesty Queen Melody."

Naomi played along, "Okay, your Highness, have I your permission to finish my dinner."

"You may. So, the famous Seven of Nine will be here soon, why? What's the mission?"

"Starfleet has received a distress signal from a group of Borg."

Doctor Franklin was nodding his head in comprehension, "I can see why the Captain was dubious. It sounds a bit like when Ambassador Neelix needed our help. How did you convince the Captain it was a real distress signal?"

"We called Q, and he assured us neither he nor anyone else in the continuum was responsible."

Mary was staring wide eyed at Naomi, "You mean Q was here, on _this _ship? How did you summon him, and more to the point _why_ would you summon him? The Q Continuum gives me the creeps."

"I suppose the continuum as a whole are rather daunting, but Q is really just an old friend of Icheb's, and mine. From our days on Voyager, when his father dumped him off on Cap… Admiral Janeway."

"Doctor Franklin?"

"Yes your highness?"

"Just exactly why are you so intrigued by Voyager? It seems to me it was one long torturous ordeal. Borg, the Q Continuum, Hirogen, Vidiians, sounds like it was no fun at all."

"That's just it, they went through hell, and remained steadfast. They were alone out there, against terrible odds, and not only did they make it back, they obviously became a close knit family. And now I finally get to meet one of Voyager's most interesting crew members." Todd hastily added, "Not that Naomi and Icheb aren't interesting. It will be fascinating to see how the three of them interact, don't you think so, Queen Melody."

"Okay, I've had enough of that. You can both stop the majestic references."

Naomi just smiled at Mary, "You started it."

"So I did, but enough is enough."

Todd and Naomi answered almost at the same time, "Yes your majesty."

Icheb entered the Mess Hall and joined the others. "Naomi Wildman, I asked the Captain if you could join us in welcoming Seven on board and she had no objections."

"Good I was wondering if I could, or if I would just have to see her later."

Todd asked, "Do you have any more specifics on the mission?"

"No, not really, just that it seems the Borg involved are from Unimatrix Zero."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:CBS/Paramount owns Voyager, Deep Space Nine and all characters established on the shows. The original characters and story are mine. I make no money from this, it's just for fun.

* * *

"I don't know what a Unimatrix Zero is, but I don't like the sound of it." 

Dr. Franklin explained to Mary, "Unimatrix Zero was a place a few drones, one in a million, I think, went during their regeneration cycles. There they could exist as individuals, develop friendships, forget they were Borg drones, that sort of thing. The problem was, when they emerged from their alcoves, they had no memory of it. At least until Voyager intervened."

"How did they intervene? And why?"

Icheb took up the tale, "Each drone who visited Unimatrix Zero had a genetic anomaly which allowed them access to it. Seven of Nine happened to be one of the rare few with this trait. When she was severed from the collective, she was unaware of Unimatrix Zero until Axum, one of the drones there, sent a sort of distress signal directly to Seven. Axum had known Seven in Unimatrix Zero, and he wanted her help to defend those in Unimatrix Zero from a growing threat from the Borg Queen."

"You know something, I have decided having you Voyagers on this ship is too much trouble. You're constantly throwing us in the path of Q Continuum's and Borg, I think you should leave now."

Dr. Franklin just looked at Ensign Melody, "Are you done now?"

"Yep, just needed to rant. I'm finished now. You were saying Commander?"

"The Borg queen was concentrating on finding the drones with the disease, that's what she called it. She wanted the interlink frequency of Unimatrix Zero, so she could shut down access to it. Axum had developed a nanovirus to shield the drones from the collective being aware of them. Anyway, the doctor redesigned the virus so it would nullify the cortical inhibitor of the drones. In order to release the virus, Captain Janeway, B'Elanna Torres and Tuvok allowed themselves to be assimilated…"

"Wait a minute. What? They got assimilated _on purpose_? No wonder you Voyagers are so close. You're all insane!!!"

"Ensign Melody, you asked about Unimatrix Zero, do you want to hear this or not?"

"Of course I want to hear about it. I just wasn't expecting to hear members of the crew sacrificed themselves on the Borg Queen's altar."

Todd asked, "Honestly Mary, do you know nothing about Voyager's missions? They were quite famous, you know."

"You have your interests Doctor, and I have mine."

"Anyway, Voyager took some damage when the Borg used Tuvok's tactical knowledge against us. They eventually had to destroy Unimatrix Zero to keep the Queen from destroying every ship with an affected drone on it. Voyager escaped with the help of a sphere under the control of a Unimatrix Zero drone who retained his individuality after his regeneration cycle."

"Alright, let me see if I understand. A bunch of Borg drones were disconnected from the collective, freed, as it were, with Voyager's help. Right? But that was, what, years ago? What have they been up to all this time?"

Naomi asked Icheb, "I was curious about that as well. Did they explain what they've been doing until now?"

"The Captain didn't know. Maybe Seven will be able to fill us in when she gets here."

* * *

Soon after this, the group scattered for the evening. Icheb and Naomi went to his quarters to discuss their upcoming reunion with Seven. 

They were sitting at the table since Icheb was eating his dinner which the Captain's hail had interrupted. "Icheb, are you as eager to see Seven as I am? It's been years since I've been in the same room with her. Subspace communication is nice, but it isn't the same."

"I, too, will be glad to see her again. I am very close to the crew of the Lindbergh, but it isn't the same as it was on Voyager."

"I know what you mean. Voyager was special."

Icheb had finished his dinner and after putting the remaining dishes back into the replicator for recycling, he and Naomi sat down on the couch. Once again they were holding hands.

"Do you really think I should be there to greet Seven's shuttle? It isn't as if I'm necessary to the mission briefing. What did the Captain say when you asked her about it?"

"Not much really. She assumed you would want to be there. I don't think it will be a problem, especially if you just say a quick hello. In fact, I think Seven would be hurt if you weren't there."

"Well then, that's settled. I'm definitely going."

"Good." With this he leaned over and gently kissed Naomi. The remaining time until the Icheb's combadge beeped to announce the approach of the shuttle was spent snuggling in each other's arms and reminiscing about Voyager.

* * *

Captain Dax, Dr. Franklin, Icheb and Naomi gathered in the shuttle bay waiting for Seven of Nine to exit her shuttle. Todd could hardly stand still he was so excited at the prospect of meeting her. The Captain decided she had to say something to him, "Doctor, if you don't urgently need to go to waste extraction, could you please calm down?" 

"Right, sorry Captain, I'll try to contain myself."

The shuttle hatch finally opened and Seven, carrying one bag, emerged. "Permission to come aboard, Captain?"

"Granted. Welcome to the Lindbergh. I'm Captain Dax, I believe you know my first officer Commander Icheb as well as Ensign Wildman. This is my Chief Medical Officer, Todd Franklin."

The doctor leaped forward with his arm outstretched clasping one of Seven's hands in his vigorous handshake. "Delighted to meet you, I really am."

Seven returned the handshake, but was puzzled by his enthusiasm until Icheb explained. "Dr. Franklin has been waiting years to meet you, haven't you Todd? He is quite the aficionado of Voyager Culture."

"Pleased to meet you Doctor. If what Icheb says is true, you will likewise be thrilled to meet my traveling companion."

Seven had been blocking the hatch so they didn't notice the movement inside the shuttle. When Seven stepped aside, a bald man in a Starfleet uniform appeared and announced, in lieu of introducing himself, "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

Todd couldn't contain himself. "Oh, it's the doctor. Doctor I have studied all your logs."

Voyager's doctor looked at the CMO of the Lindbergh and asked the only question he could think of, "Young man, do you need to go to waste extraction?"

"No sir, why do you ask?"

"You seem to be engaged in a behavior which the youngest member of the Voyager crew referred to as the pee pee dance."

At this Naomi's face turned the bright shade of red only attainable by true red heads.

Ezri shook hands with both Seven and the doctor, "Welcome aboard Doctor…?"

Icheb inquired, "Still no name Doctor?"

"No, not yet."

Icheb, Naomi, the Doctor and Seven of Nine all exchanged hugs, they were truly happy to be together again. Once all the greetings were complete, Seven addressed Captain Dax, "Shall we adjourn for the mission briefing?"

"Yes of course, this way please."

Naomi distanced herself and spoke to the Doctor and Seven, "I'll see you both later."

Seven halted, "Captain, I would like Ensign Wildman to come to the briefing and participate in the mission."

Naomi was at a loss as to what she should do next. Luckily the Captain solved this dilemma for her. "Ensign Wildman, you're dismissed."

"Yes sir." When the group got into the corridor, all the others turned toward the bridge and the briefing room and Naomi headed to her quarters.

Mary was waiting for Naomi to return. "So have the Borg invaded?"

"Yes, Seven of Nine is aboard. She brought the doctor with her."

"Oh, I bet Dr. Franklin was beside himself with glee."

"He did seem to be, the Doc asked him if he needed to go to waste extraction since he appeared to be doing the pee pee dance."

"You're kidding!"

"No your highness, I'm serious."

"I told you to stop all the queen stuff, especially since we are going to be dealing with the Borg. It's just too creepy. What do you suppose the mission is?"

"I don't know, but there was a really awkward moment in the shuttle bay. Seven requested that I be in on the briefing as well as the mission."

"Which would directly violate the Captain's rules since I assume Icheb will be heavily involved?"

"Exactly."

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing, the Captain dismissed me without explaining why to Seven or the Doc."

"I bet that _was_ awkward."

"Extremely. After the briefing Icheb will probably explain to them."

"Do you really think he will explain to two people he sees as parent figures that he is now romantically involved with what they may consider to be a sister to him? Not likely."

"Okay, you're taking this whole Voyager family concept a bit too literally."

"Am I? Aren't you the one who explained it to me?"

* * *

In the briefing room, Seven was conducting the mission briefing. "The distress signal was from Korok, a member of Unimatrix Zero with whom I am acquainted. He states several vessels under the control of drones freed from the collective have banded together. These vessels have spent years avoiding contact with others, which he informs Starfleet is very easy to do. He says ships tend to avoid large collections of Borg ships without needing to be warned off. Their problem is they are having trouble deciding on their course of action. Some want to continue the resistance movement toward the collective. Others want to find a planet and settle down. Some want to return to their previous lives, some want to use their resources for exploration and scientific discovery. They are crippled by their inability to reach a consensus." 

Ezri mentioned what to her was obvious, "It seems to me this is an internal matter. Why is Starfleet authorizing us to respond to their distress signal?"

Voyager's doctor replied, "We believe, and Starfleet concurs, since we were instrumental in creating this new population, we are responsible for helping them."

The remainder of the briefing was spent discussing mission specifics; the rendezvous coordinates, personnel requirements and assignments, possible resources needed and the like.

* * *

When the meeting broke up, the senior staff of the Lindbergh departed, leaving Icheb, Seven and the Doc to catch up. As soon as they were alone, the Doctor asked Icheb, "Why exactly was Naomi Wildman excluded when Seven specifically requested her involvement?" Both the Doc and Seven were looking at Icheb for the explanation. 

"The Captain has recently implemented strict guidelines regarding Naomi's duties."

Seven wanted clarification, "That much was obvious, but why? Has she done something which warrants disciplinary action?"

Icheb hesitated, "Yes and no. She and I have begun a romantic relationship with which the Captain is slightly unhappy. We are not to work together on any away mission or project."

"Ah, mixing love and work, the age old dilemma." The Doc's tone was amused.

Seven hugged Icheb, "I'm so happy for you. I think this is wonderful."

Icheb ushered them toward the door, "Shall we go see her?"

The Doctor, Seven and Icheb made their way toward the turbolift.

Before entering the turbolift, Icheb tapped his combadge, "Icheb to Ensign Wildman."

"Go ahead."

"I have some visiting dignitaries who would like to see you. Where are you?"

"I'm in my quarters, should I meet you somewhere?"

"No, we're on our way. Icheb out."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager as well as the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine.

* * *

When the door chime in their quarters sounded, Mary jumped as if she were startled.

"What is it, Mary?"

"I am slightly nervous about meeting the Voyagers."

After commanding the door to open, allowing the visitors to enter, Naomi just shook her head in astonishment at Mary's continued nervousness about the former members of the Voyager crew.

After Icheb, Seven of Nine, and the Doctor entered, Naomi made the introductions. "This is my roommate Mary Melody. Mary, may I present Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01."

As Mary and Seven shook hands, Seven addressed Mary, "Ensign Melody, my friends just call me Seven."

"This is the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you Doctor . . .?" Mary left the question unfinished hoping someone would supply the doctor's name.

As the Doctor took Mary's hand to shake it, he said, "Ah, you see Ensign Melody, I don't have a name."

Icheb told Mary, "His friends call him Doc."

"Doc it is."

"Naomi Wildman, I hear you and Icheb are an item." Seven unmistakably smirked at the Doctor's statement.

Naomi looked at Mary, "I told you he would explain."

"So you did."

Naomi addressed the other three, "I told Mary, Icheb would explain the Captain's behavior to you as soon as he was able. She was skeptical."

The Doc was exploring their quarters, "Naomi Wildman, it is wonderful to see you, but the quarters of you junior officers are, how shall I put it, small."

Icheb, who had put his arm around Naomi, made a suggestion, "Why don't we go to the Mess Hall and get a snack, or something to drink? Would you like to join us Ensign Melody?"

Mary hesitated, "Umm, thanks for the offer. I have some reading to do. Besides, the four of you will probably be reminiscing, and I'd feel like an extra appendage."

"Are you sure, Mary?" asked Naomi.

"I'm sure, enjoy yourselves."

Before they left, Icheb took advantage of the situation, he drew Naomi into a hug and kissed her gently on the forehead. As he did so, the Doc and Seven both smiled at the display of affection between them.

* * *

As the four Voyagers, as the Lindbergh crew called them, entered the Mess Hall, it was practically empty due to the fact it was rather late in the evening. After they had their beverages and snacks, the Doc looked at Seven's plate, "I see you're having the New York Cheesecake?"

"Yes I am, thanks to you I have become quite fond of it. However, I only eat it occasionally and only one_ small_ slice at a time." As she said this, she was smiling broadly at the Doctor. "This is a special occasion and I feel like celebrating."

The Doctor let Seven begin on her dessert, and addressed the Lindbergh crewmembers, "So, how did this romance begin?"

Icheb answered, "You know Naomi and I have always been close. When she arrived on the Lindbergh, my demeanor became more relaxed and jovial when she and I were together. That is, according to the Doctor and other crew members who have served with me for some time. It didn't take long for the rumors to begin."

"You should know something about that Icheb."

"What do you mean, Doc?"

"Weren't you the individual who informed most of the Voyager crew B'Elanna Torres was pregnant while she and Tom were still in the infirmary with me?"

"Right, I'd forgotten."

Seven joined the good natured Icheb teasing, "At least he waited to find out she was pregnant before disseminating his gossip."

Naomi asked, "What do you mean?"

Icheb looked as close to panic as Naomi had ever seen him, "Seven, please…" He was practically begging.

She ignored Icheb, "Well Naomi Wildman, when Icheb and I were in Engineering that day, you know B'Elanna Torres stumbled and nearly fell more than once, right?"

"I remember hearing about it."

"Well, Icheb scanned her and announced he was detecting another life sign inside B'Elanna Torres. He speculated she was infested with a parasite."

Seven and the Doctor seemed extremely amused at Icheb's discomfiture. Naomi told Icheb, "I never heard about that."

Icheb answered so softly it was barely above a whisper, "It was an easy mistake to make."

At this point, the doors to the Mess Hall opened and the Lindbergh's CMO entered. He made a beeline for the table with Icheb and the rest. Grabbing a chair as he walked past another table, he set it next to Naomi's and joined the group. "I thought I would find the four of you together. What are you doing? Talking over old times on the good ship Voyager? If so, don't mind me, continue, I'll just sit here and be a spectator."

Icheb sighed, "I told you he was obsessed with Voyager."

Todd smiled, "And proud of it, too."

Seven was feeling mischievous which was another benefit of the surgery the Doc had performed allowing her access to her emotions. "Doctor Franklin, you might be interested in the particular story we were just discussing."

"A Voyager story, of course I would be interested."

"We were discussing Icheb's skill at spreading gossip. He once informed practically the entire crew…"

Icheb added, "Don't forget, Seven, you helped."

"So I did, it was big news. As I was saying, Icheb was the primary source of information when the crew found out B'Elanna Torres and Tom Paris were going to have their first child. Not to mention, he completed this task before the doctor finished his initial exam of Lt. Torres."

Todd turned his gaze on the Lindbergh's first officer, "I had no idea you were such a gossip."

Icheb stood, "As much as I would love to sit here and be subjected to ritual humiliation all night, we have a busy day tomorrow and I am going to get some sleep. Good night." With this he left the Mess Hall followed closely by Naomi.

Todd looked at Seven and the Doctor, "I am going to love having the two of you on board."

In the corridor, Naomi caught up with Icheb, "Are you really angry?"

"No, not at all. I think we should both be prepared for this type of situation for the duration of their time here."

"I'm afraid you might be right. It's like having your parents on board. They want to tell everyone you work with how cute you were when you were a child. It's very embarrassing."

When they reached Icheb's quarters, Naomi stepped in so they could say good nights to each other unseen by anyone, in accordance with the Captain's guidelines.


	6. Chapter 6

Obligatory Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established therein. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Thanks to Tayababy for giving me an idea which is implied in this chapter.

* * *

Mary was eating her breakfast when the door chime sounded. After she replied, "Enter" she was surprised to see Seven of Nine enter her quarters. 

"Good morning Ensign Melody, may I speak to Naomi Wildman please?"

"Uh, well, yeah, she's not here."

"I assumed she hadn't left for her duty shift yet. She was in neither Stellar Cartography, nor the Mess Hall."

"Right, well, I don't know where she is."

Seven tapped her combadge, "Computer, locate Ensign Naomi Wildman."

The calm feminine voice which was the standard for all Starfleet computers replied, "Ensign Naomi Wildman is in crew quarters E-426."

Seven looked at Mary for an explanation.

"She seems to be in Commander Icheb's quarters."

"When did she leave?"

Mary was visibly uncomfortable, "Well, Miss Nine, she left with you and the others last evening, and, umm, well, she never came back to our quarters."

Seven arched one of her brows, "I see. It was nice to see you again Ensign Melody."

After Seven exited her quarters, Mary said to herself, "That was uncomfortable." She thought for a moment, and decided her roommate could use some advanced warning, "Ensign Melody to Ensign Wildman."

Naomi's voice sounded sleepy, "Go ahead."

"Naomi, Seven of Nine Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Whatever was just here looking for you. I think she is on her way to, um, your present location."

"Thanks Mary, Wildman out."

* * *

By the time Seven reached Icheb's quarters, Naomi and Icheb were having breakfast at the table in his quarters. Seven sat down with them, "Naomi Wildman, I came to tell you I have persuaded the Captain to allow you to work on our mission with us. You will be on the bridge, but will report directly to me. However, you are to report to Stellar Cartography this morning as usual, and Slor will brief you on the situation." 

"Thanks Seven, I really wanted to work on this with you. How did you convince the Captain?"

"It wasn't difficult. I just told her the Doctor and I were very comfortable working with you, and I suggested you report to me, thus removing both Captain Dax and Icheb from your chain of command on this mission. I just thought I would give you some warning before you are briefed by Slor."

"Thanks. Well, I must be getting to Stellar Cartography. I'll see you both later." Before she left, she kissed Icheb on the cheek and hugged Seven.

After she left, Seven turned to Icheb, "This isn't going to be a problem, is it? The two of you will be able to keep things on a professional level on the bridge won't you?"

"Of course we will. By the way, how is Captain Chakotay these days?" Icheb understood Seven's caution about Naomi and him working on the bridge at the same time, but he wanted to remind Seven he wasn't the only one to find love on a starship.

Seven smiled, "He is fine, Icheb. If possible, he and the Voyager may join us on this mission."

* * *

As the Lindbergh came into sensor range of the nebula where the rendezvous was to take place, the science officer, T'Phir, reported, "I am reading between 15 and 27 vessels in the nebula. It is difficult to tell exactly how many are there due to the interference from the nebula." 

Captain Dax addressed Seven of Nine, "Shall we try to raise them."

Seven gave a small nod, "Open hailing frequencies."

Icheb worked the security and communications console which he was manning, "Hailing frequencies open."

Seven spoke, "This is the USS Lindbergh hailing Korok."

The stars on the view screen vanished, it was suddenly filled with the image of a large Klingon sporting the usual Borg implants, "Korok here, it is good to see you Annika."

"Seven, please. We will be at your location in less than an hour. When we arrive, will you and your top aides join us on the Lindbergh?"

"Yes, you can expect 5 of us. We will expound on our situation then. Korok out." The channel was closed, and the starscape returned to the view screen.

Dax looked askance at Seven, "Is he always so abrupt?"

Seven, equally as abrupt, replied, "Yes."

* * *

The briefing room was quite crowded. At the table were Captain Dax, Doctor Franklin, Threm, T'Phir, Icheb, the Voyager's EMH, Seven, Naomi, and Korok. Korok was accompanied by four other former Borg, one was Bajoran, one was Hirogen, one was Andorian, and the last was a member of Icheb's own species, the Brunali. 

Korok was addressing the group, "In the first days after our liberation from the collective, some vessels under our control were lost." At this point Korok looked directly at Seven, "One of these vessels went into fluidic space in an attempt to gain support from Species 8472. It was destroyed during the attempt." Seven understood immediately. Axum had been killed. Korok was continuing, "After this, those remaining came to a consensus. We must disconnect those drones on our vessels which had not been part of Unimatrix Zero. Initially this was met with resistance, which was of course futile, but as the drones started to remember their previous lives, the resistance ended.

"Next we went about locating other vessels freed from the collective, we needed to centralize our new population. As you can imagine, this took some time. The vessels here under our control were scattered far and wide across the galaxy. As long as there were other vessels free from the collective which had not yet joined us, our direction was clear. In those first years, all our efforts, on all our ships were directed toward the same goals, disconnecting all the drones on our vessels from the collective, and gathering our forces. Once this was accomplished, our troubles began."

The room was silent, waiting for Korok to continue, which he did, "Once all the ships were assembled in one place, our direction was no longer clear. We were no longer unified as to our purpose. Under the Queen, our purpose was clearly defined, once liberated, our initial purpose was uniform throughout our population. It is no longer so. We argue constantly about what to do next. The only thing we are unanimous about is our desire to disencumber ourselves from as much of our Borg physiology as possible. Although we were able to inhibit our cortical nodes from bringing us to the attention of the collective, we didn't have the ability to extract our Borg implants. None among us possessed the knowledge or skill required to accomplish this task. We hope with the help of the Voyager's doctor to be able to free ourselves from a majority of the implants, as he did with Anni…Seven of Nine."

Voyager's EMH spoke directly to Korok, "Freeing so many drones from their Borg implants will be a massive undertaking, one which I am, of course, happy and willing to undertake. I will need a great deal of assistance, from Dr. Franklin, his staff, and several of the former Borg who have the most medical knowledge."

Korok was pleased, "We will be most eager to assist you. Although this was one of our main objectives, it was not the reason we sent the distress signal. We need help governing ourselves. Help in determining our future."

Again, Voyager's EMH spoke, "Actually, your two objectives are interrelated. Once free of the majority of your implants, your individuality will begin to assert itself. Once this has begun, your need to come form a common goal and direction will be lessened."

Korok stood with a shocked look on his face, "This had not occurred to me, nor to any of the others, I am positive. This kind of individual thinking process is so unlike the Borg way."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and the story are mine.

* * *

Captain Dax asked Voyager's EMH, "Are you suggesting, Doctor, we belay our other priorities until we take care of the medical request first?" 

"Yes, Captain, that would be my recommendation."

Seven looked at Dax, "Captain, as you know, Voyager was placed on standby when the Doctor and I were dispatched here. They were to wait until we had determined if their assistance is needed on this mission. Would it not make sense to call them in so we can significantly increase the number of people assisting the Doctor?"

"I was just thinking about that very thing. If you think it would be wise, Doctor, we can alert them, and get Voyager started on their way here at once."

The EMH responded, "I can use all the help I can get. This is going to be a massive undertaking."

Dax looked at Korok and asked, "Do you approve this plan of action, sir?"

"Yes, I do, if it is as the Doctor said. If releasing us from our Borg implants will help us decide our paths, collectively or separately, the extractions should begin immediately."

Voyager's EMH stepped in, "There must be some organization to this effort before we can begin the extraction protocols. We can't just go about extracting technology willy nilly. Since there were no proper sickbay facilities on any Borg vessel I ever encountered, it would be best to begin here in the Lindbergh's sick bay." He added hastily in case he had offended Dr. Franklin, "If you don't object, Dr. Franklin."

Todd looked like a child on Christmas Morning, his eyes were bright and alive, he was clearly enjoying not only the prospect of working with Voyager's EMH, but the upcoming arrival of Voyager herself. "My sickbay is your sickbay, Doctor."

The Captain took in all the faces seated around the table. "The next step should be assigning personnel and requisitioning materiel. I feel this is best left to the Doctors, Seven of Nine, and Korok, since the rest of us would only be in the way. Doctors, I leave this in your capable hands, just keep me posted on the operation. Is there anyone present you need for the planning phase?"

"Yes, Captain, I would like Seven of Nine, Icheb, and Naomi Wildman to stay."

The Captain narrowed her eyes, but resisted challenging the need for Ensign Wildman, a stellar cartographer, to take part in what was now a purely medical mission.

The EMH seemed to understand, "Captain, I have a somewhat peculiar way of arranging my work which I developed while on Voyager. Having those three, who are familiar with my methods, assisting me, will save valuable time because I won't have to explain my methods to them."

Todd added, "And since I have thoroughly studied the Doctor's logs, I am well aware of his methods."

This seemed to placate the Captain. "Alright, we extraneous beings are going to leave you to it. T'Phir, will you contact the Voyager and request their assistance?" The Vulcan Science Officer nodded her reply. "Dismissed." The Captain, Threm and T'Phir arose and headed out of the briefing room.

Korok pointed at the two members of his contingent who were closest to the door, "You will both return to our ship and begin compiling a list of which members will be most helpful to this mission. You heard the Doctor say he wanted those who have a medical background." The two former Borg nodded their heads in acknowledgement of Korok's order, then they left the briefing room as well.

The exit of these five people made the room seem much less crowded. The EMH was sitting at the end of the table, opposite the chair Dax had just vacated. Dr. Franklin, Seven, Icheb and Naomi were seated on one side of the table. Korok and his aides, the Hirogen and the Brunali, were on the other side of the table. Everyone looked at the Doctor waiting for him to proceed. "Well, since we are all going to be spending a great deal of time together, perhaps we should all introduce ourselves." As he said this he glanced at Korok's aides who had been silent during the meeting and had not been introduced by Korok.

Korok seemed puzzled at the request, but complied, "As you know, I am Korok, these are two of my most trusted aides," he pointed at the large Hirogen male, "this is Turar." He then pointed at the Brunali male, "And this is Yivcon."

The Doc smiled at the former drones. "Well, it is nice to meet you. May I introduce," he started by introducing Seven, who was closest to him, "Seven of Nine, Doctor Todd Franklin, the Lindbergh's Chief Medical Officer, Ensign Naomi Wildman, and Commander Icheb, the Lindbergh's first officer. You can just call me Doc."

Korok seemed impatient to begin, "Good, now that is over with, how shall we proceed?"

"I suggest we go to sickbay and take some scans. We can ascertain what state your implants are in, to get an understanding of what has been done and what needs to be done. We can also scan Seven and Icheb as points of comparison."

Korok replied, "That makes sense, but why would you need to compare us to both Anni…Seven of Nine and Icheb, don't they have the same amount of Borg technology?"

"Ahh, no, Seven has a cortical node and Icheb does not."

Korok was stunned, "What do you mean he doesn't have a cortical node? He would die without a cortical node."

"He almost did. However, you can see why I would like to compare both of them since they have vastly different levels of Borg technology regulating their systems."

Korok was intrigued, "I will be very interested in your scans. Do you think you can free us of our cortical nodes as well?"

"I wouldn't recommend it. Icheb's case was rare, and his cortical node was deactivated without my assistance." With this, the Doctor gave Icheb a knowing look. "I just cleaned up after he deactivated it."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Korok then asked Icheb, "Are you insane?"

The EMH laughed, "No, he isn't insane, just determined. It is really a long story, but as we will be spending so much time together, no doubt I will find time to relate it to you. Shall we go to sickbay?"

In the bustle of activity which accompanied the group leaving the briefing room, Naomi tugged slightly on the Doctor's sleeve, "Doc, do you have a second?"

"Of course, Naomi Wildman, what is it?"

"What am I going to be doing on this mission? Am I really necessary?"

"I think so, you are going to be in charge of collating all the data and coordinating the efforts here and on the Borg vessels. I think it's important to have one point of contact for all the activities so nothing gets overlooked."

Naomi didn't sound convinced, "If you're sure."

"I am Ensign Wildman. I meant what I said to the Captain, you really are familiar with my methods, which will save time not having to explain how I want every little thing done. However, we will follow the Captain's guidelines. You will report either to Seven or to me. While you may work with Icheb, he is not in your chain of command, is that clear?"

Naomi smiled at the doctor, "Yes, sir."

The Doc smiled back at Naomi, "Good."

The group made their way to sickbay and the scans began. Naomi designated one of the consoles in sickbay as the "command center" for the mission. She began setting up databases and entering information from the meeting as well as the scan results as they were completed. While the Voyager's EMH was taking the scans, Dr. Franklin was briefing his staff who then shared their inventory and personnel lists with Naomi so she could enter them into the "command center." Once she was immersed in her task, she understood the Doctor's reason for wanting one person in charge of all the data. Information was going to be coming in from several sources and it really did make sense to centralize it and have one person managing the data. It was also wise to have the person in charge of the data doing nothing else, so they wouldn't be distracted by their other duties. She also understood how the EMH wanted it organized without having to ask him.

The Doc had been correct, freeing thousands of Borg drones from most of their implants was going to be a massive operation.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount STILL owns Voyager and all characters established on the show. Original characters and the story are mine.

Thanks for all the great feedback!!!!!

* * *

Voyager's EMH was giving instructions to Naomi Wildman, "Please tell Korok I need some information. Specifically, I need to know exactly how many patients there are, also, a list of species, and the number of each species. Hopefully most of them will be from the Alpha and Delta Quadrants, if we already have information about the species, it will make the extraction process go much more smoothly. Having to scan and chart entirely unknown genomes will slow us down considerably." 

Naomi looked at the Doctor and replied, "Yes, sir." However, before adding the requested lists to the command center, she was looking at the Doctor as if she was seeing him for the first time.

The Doctor noticed and asked, "What is it?"

"Doc, where's your mobile emitter? I just noticed you don't have it on your arm."

"Ah, well, you see, it's a matter of security. I finally decided masking my emitter's appearance was a good idea. It's still there, it's just cloaked, as it were. I finally realized, pointing it out to people and explaining how it worked wasn't the brightest thing to do. I am sure you remember on more than one occasion people took advantage of my naiveté to take the mobile emitter from me, or to knock it off my arm to disable me. It was rather disconcerting. Also, I have moved it from it's former position, so people who may know about it, won't know exactly where it is." The Doctor looked very pleased while explaining this.

Naomi said, under her breath and with a trace of laughter in her voice, "I don't even want to guess where it is now."

The Doctor was laughing as well when he responded, "I'll never tell."

Icheb entered the Lindbergh's sickbay and noticing the Doctor and Naomi laughing, became very serious, "I thought you two were supposed to be working, not joking around."

The Doctor responded, "We are working Commander Crankypants."

Naomi laughed even harder, "Did you just call him Crankypants?"

The Doctor's ploy had worked, Icheb was laughing as well.

Doctor Franklin, who had been in his office working on his supply and personnel recommendations, came into the main sickbay. "What is going on out here?" Rather than being upset at the racket, he seemed eager to join in.

Icheb replied, "I have no idea, these two were laughing when I came in. Then the Doc called me…well, it isn't important what he called me, but it was funny."

"I can tell. What exactly did you call him, Doc?"

Naomi was trying very hard to stop giggling, but wasn't completely successful. Somehow, being in the presence of the Doc and Icheb was bringing out her inner child. Either that, or she was just happy to have another member of the Voyager family with her.

Voyager's EMH explained, "Naomi and I were working when she asked me a question about my mobile emitter…"

Before he could finish his sentence, two things happened simultaneously. Seven entered the sickbay and Icheb asked, "Where is your mobile emitter anyway?"

The answer came not from the EMH, but from Seven, "He hid it so people could stop ambushing him."

Icheb nodded his head approvingly, "Very smart, Doc."

"I thought so."

The Lindbergh's CMO broke in, "This is all very interesting, but it doesn't answer my question. What did you call Icheb?"

Naomi, having finally suppressed her laughter answered Todd's question, "Commander Crankypants." She made a mental note to tell Mary of this new nickname for Icheb. She was sure Mary would appreciate it, and add it to her extensive collection.

Seven decided it was time to change the subject. "Doctor, may I have your assistance setting up a regeneration alcove on our shuttle?"

Icheb asked the obvious question, "Haven't you regenerated since being dispatched here?"

"No, and I need to, I'm exhausted." Then an idea seemed to occur to Seven, "It will take some time to set an alcove up for me, could I possibly use yours Icheb?"

"I don't know if my regeneration device will be sufficient. Since my need to regenerate was reduced when my cortical node was removed, I have adapted my regeneration devise to compensate. I no longer require a full alcove, there is a component in the mattress of my bed which takes care of my reduced needs, while allowing me to sleep in a bed like a normal person."

The EMH jumped in, "Better safe than sorry. Seven, let's go set up your alcove. Ensign Wildman, don't forget to request the information I want from Korok."

"Aye, sir." Naomi immediately began to enter the request into the computer.

After Seven and the EMH were gone, Doctor Franklin, with a mischievous smile asked, "So, Commander Crankypants, why didn't I see you in the mess hall for breakfast?" Todd was surprised to see Icheb blush.

"I, um, overslept. Perhaps I should go check my regeneration devise." Without saying anything else, Icheb exited sickbay.

Todd asked Naomi, "What'd I say?" before he realized she was blushing as well. "Never mind, I don't want to know. How goes the information coordination?"

"Fine, sir. I have entered everything we've collected up until now, and my duty shift is over. I'll see you tomorrow." She also exited sickbay abruptly.

Todd, standing in the middle of sickbay spoke aloud to himself, "Oh, I have to know what that was about." He tapped his combadge, "Dr. Franklin to Ensign Melody."

Mary's voice responded immediately, "Melody here."

He got right to the point, "Mary, would you like to join Threm and me for dinner this evening?"

"Sure, what time Doctor?"

"We'll meet you in the mess hall in an hour. Franklin out." He was again speaking to himself, "If she doesn't know what's up with those two, I'll have to resort to questioning them directly."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and all the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Author's Note: This is just a short chapter, the writing of which helped me get past a bout of writer's block. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for all the great feedback!!

* * *

Mary stormed into her quarters, furious. "My grandparents had an old historic house with doors which hung on hinges. I wish we had one of those right now."

Naomi was confused, "What are you talking about?"

Mary turned to Naomi and practically glared at her, "Real doors, Naomi, real doors you can slam."

"Well, I'm glad you cleared that up."

"Do you have any idea what I've been doing for the past hour?"

Naomi attempted to lighten the mood, "Taking in a seminar on doors?"

"No. Thanks to you, I have been enduring a Doctor Franklin special interrogation!"

"Why?"

"Why? Are you really asking me why? Why else? Apparently you and Icheb left the sickbay in such a hurry that his curiosity was aroused. He said he asked Commander Drone Boy why he wasn't at breakfast and Icheb sprinted out of sickbay as if he were on fire. Then shortly after, you rushed out as well. Todd has been trying to get me to tell him what's going on. Luckily Threm was there, or I think the good Doctor would have whipped out some thumbscrews and tried to torture the information out of me."

"You didn't…"

Mary was now shouting, "No I didn't tell him you were gone all night! I didn't spill your secret!"

The door chime sounded and Mary shouted at it, "Come in!"

Icheb walked in and Mary started yelling at him, "And you! You need to learn how to react when someone asks you a tough question!" She stormed into the bedroom without another word.

Icheb looked at Naomi, "What's wrong with Ensign Melody?"

"Well, she's upset, isn't she?"

"Obviously, but why?"

"Todd apparently has been interrogating her about our behavior in sickbay. After you left, he asked me why you exited so abruptly, and I'm afraid I didn't handle it much better than you."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. What are we going to do? I doubt Todd will just let this drop."

"You're right, he can be very tenacious. It would probably just be best if we told him and swore him to secrecy."

"Do you think he'd keep it to himself?"

"He'd probably tell Threm, of course, but otherwise, yes, I think he would."

"Okay, let's do it."

Icheb tapped his combadge, "Icheb to Doctor Franklin."

"Franklin here."

"Would you come to my quarters please?"

"Sure, I'll be right there." Icheb held his hand out to Naomi, "Let's get this over with." She took his hand, and kissed him. Before they left she called out, "Mary, we're leaving. See you later."

The only response was an aggravated growl coming from the bedroom.

* * *

Todd was standing in the corridor waiting for them.

Icheb ushered them into his quarters and they were all seated before Icheb spoke. "It seems you have been questioning Ensign Melody rather vigorously."

"Yes, I have. The two of you were just acting too weird. You know how I am, I can't rest until I find out what's going on when I get curious about something. So, what's going on?"

Naomi and Icheb looked at each other, but Icheb answered the question. "You have to promise to keep this to yourself."

Todd started to ask, "What about…"

Icheb headed him off, "Of course, you can tell Threm, but no one else. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Good. The reason Naomi Wildman and I were having breakfast here, is, because, well, you see… she well…" Icheb was obviously trying to find the proper words.

Naomi saved him the effort, "I spent the night here." Icheb began to study his hand which was enfolding Naomi's, in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

Todd's face broke into a huge smile, "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you both." Todd noticed his friend was uncomfortable and softened his tone, "Icheb, really, I'm thrilled for you. It is blatantly obvious that Naomi makes you happy."

Icheb leaned over and kissed Naomi on the cheek, "She does."

Todd was beaming, "What more could I ask for? My good friend is deliriously in love, and tomorrow Voyager arrives!!"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Author's Note: To answer Firewolfe's question, Threm is the Bolian Chief Engineer on the Lindbergh. I live with these characters in my head and I forget other people don't, and so aren't as familiar with them. Threm was introduced in Reporting For Duty, and hasn't been seen for a few chapters. Please let me know when I seem to pop characters in which make no sense to you!

* * *

The main viewscreen on the Lindbergh's bridge showed the USS Voyager approaching. Captain Dax opened the comline to sickbay, "Dax to Sickbay, they are within visual range." Before she could close the line she and everyone else on the bridge heard the Lindbergh's CMO practically squeal, "They're here! They're here!"

From the science station, T'Phir, the Lindbergh's Science Officer, stated what they all were thinking, "It is fortunate the base of operations for this mission is now located in sickbay rather than on the bridge."

Dax, with one of her more mischievous smiles addressed T'Phir, "Why is that Lieutenant, are you suggesting that Dr. Franklin's enthusiasm might be too much for us to endure?"

T'Phir, with her usual Vulcan unflappable expression responded, "I would think that was obvious."

After the chuckling which had broken out across the bridge subsided, Icheb, from his seat pressed the appropriate buttons to open a connection, "Icheb to Voyager."

The viewscreen changed from the image of Voyager to the smiling face of Captain Chakotay, "Icheb, it is good to see you." In the background Harry Kim could be seen in the first officer's chair.

"Likewise, Captain, how are you?"

"I'm well, Icheb. May I ask where my wife and CMO are?"

"They are both in our Sickbay, as is Naomi Wildman."

"I look forward to seeing her. We should be in transporter range in half an hour." Chakotay's gaze turned to Captain Dax. "Captain, is there anything we need to do in the interim in order to prepare for this mission?"

Dax answered, "I assume you have all the supplies and personnel ready and waiting?"

"Of course, we have been compiling our inventories and personnel lists as requested."

"For now, I think that will suffice. It is my opinion, and both our Doctor and yours agree, that the effort should be coordinated here since our Sickbay is larger. Obviously we will need the resources of both Sickbays, but we have set up a command center on our ship. Ensign Wildman is in charge of coordinating all the data for the mission."

"Sounds good. We will see you shortly, Voyager out."

Dax turned to her first officer, "Icheb, would you please go to sickbay and make sure things are in readiness?"

"Certainly, do you mean I should go to Sickbay and make sure Todd hasn't worked himself into a frenzy?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

* * *

As Icheb entered Sickbay he immediately recognized the wisdom of the Captain sending him to Sickbay. Todd was flitting around sickbay readjusting every piece of equipment in the room while the Doc, Seven and Naomi watched in fascination. Icheb tried to get his attention, "Doctor…Todd…TODD!"

The Doctor finally stopped and turned to the First Officer, "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making sure everything is ready for their arrival." Todd accompanied this statement with wild, almost frantic, arm gestures.

Voyager's CMO added, "He has been running around in circles since the Captain called to announce Voyager's imminent arrival. May I suggest a mild tranquilizer?"

Seven suggested to the Doc, "Perhaps since you suggested all the Borg regenerate until Voyager arrived, you should have suggested Dr. Franklin regenerate as well."

"Perhaps I should have. I had no idea he would get this worked up."

Todd was oblivious of the discussion Seven and the Doc were having because he had begun to interrogate Icheb, "When will they arrive? How long until they are in transporter range? Who will come to the Lindbergh?"

Icheb put his hands on his friend's shoulders in an effort to get Todd to stand still. "Todd, are you listening to me?" Icheb asked this because Todd didn't seem able to focus on anything. "They will be here in less than half an hour. You need to calm down. Perhaps the Doc should give you a mild sedative. You're slightly agitated."

The Lindbergh's CMO took a deep, calming breath. "No, I'm fine, really. Everything here is ready. We just need to coordinate with Voyager and get all our data sorted, then we can proceed. I suggest we don't disturb the drones until we have everything in place. How long do you think that will take Doc?"

"Knowing how efficient Chakotay is, it shouldn't take long. I have no doubt he has everything ready to go. We'll just need to get his resource lists and compare them with ours. We should be well and truly prepared by tomorrow morning. I want the patients to get as much rest as possible which is why I suggested they all regenerate until we are ready to begin the extractions. They'll be undergoing major medical procedures, the more rested they are at the outset, the better."

Icheb suggested, "Since we have a few minutes before they arrive, why don't we all go to the Mess Hall and take a coffee break?"

Naomi nodded her head, "I think that's a wonderful idea. However I think maybe Doctor Franklin should avoid any caffeinated beverages."

* * *

They entered the Mess Hall and noticed it was mostly empty. They all ordered their beverages and light snacks then gathered around a table. Voyager's EMH asked a question, "I assume Captain Dax informed Chakotay of our intention to coordinate efforts from here on the Lindbergh?"

Icheb, who was the only one who had been on the bridge answered, "Yes, and he agreed. Naomi, has Voyager started sending any of their data?"

"Not yet, I just assumed they would bring their PADDs with them."

"They probably will."

Todd, who seemed to be calming down from his earlier state asked, "Who's going to bring them over? Have they assigned a liaison officer?"

Icheb answered, "I don't know yet. I'm sure they will, but I don't know who it will be. My guess is Captain Chakotay will be part of the first contingent. He seems anxious to see you Seven. One of his first questions to me was to inquire as to the whereabouts of his wife and CMO, in that order."

The Doc smirked, "Well at least he remembered me."

Icheb's combadge sounded, "Dax to Icheb, meet me in the transporter room, our guests are arriving. And before you ask, yes Todd, you can join us."

Todd was surprised, "How did she know I would be with you?"

As he was pushing his chair back under the table, Icheb replied, "She's the Captain. She knows everything."

* * *

Dax was waiting for them in the transporter room. As they entered, two figures were completing the transporting process.

The taller of the two stepped off the platform and extended his hand to the Captain, "Captain Dax, I'm Captain Chakotay, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. May I present my First Officer, Commander Harry Kim."

Dax shook Harry's hand as well. "I believe you know most of these people. This is my Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Todd Franklin."

Todd bounded to the front of the crowd and shook both Chakotay and Harry Kim's arms vigorously. "It's such a pleasure to meet you both. I hope sometime during our mission I might be able to tour your vessel. You see, I am something of an aficionado of the Voyager, its history and crew."

"Of course, Doctor, you're more than welcome."

Dax felt they should exit the now cramped transporter room, "Shall we go to the briefing room? We'll have more room there."

As they filed into the corridor, Chakotay caught up with Seven and put his arm around his wife. They slowed their pace so they were soon at the back of the group. Chakotay kissed his wife on the cheek, "I've missed you."

"As I have you, but perhaps we shouldn't be seen publicly displaying affection here on the Lindbergh."

"Really?"

Seven separated from her husband and began to explain softly so the others wouldn't hear, "The Captain is somewhat sensitive about the subject. It seems that shortly after Naomi Wildman was posted here, she and Icheb began a romantic relationship."

Chakotay glanced at the group which was slightly ahead of them. He noticed Icheb and Naomi were at opposite ends of the group. "They seem to be keeping their distance from each other."

"They are, under the Captain's orders."

"Who would have guessed Icheb and Naomi Wildman would ever be under censure by their Captain?"

They broke off their conversation as the group reached the turbolift. Chakotay suggested, "Perhaps we should wait for the next 'lift. Seven people in a turbolift would be very crowded."

Icheb responded, "I'll wait with Captain Chakotay and Seven. We'll be right behind you."

As soon as the doors to the turbolift closed on the others, Chakotay asked Icheb, "What is this I hear about you and Ensign Wildman? Is it true the two of you are causing mayhem here on the Lindbergh?"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount still owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine.

* * *

"Captain, I think the word mayhem may be a bit strong."

As Icheb, Seven, and Chakotay entered the turbolift, Chakotay asked Icheb, "But is it true you and Naomi are now an item?"

"Yes, it's true."

Chakotay was smiling, "Well, that's certainly…interesting."

By this time they were approaching the briefing room. Upon entering, they found the rest of the group already seated around the conference table. Captain Dax addressed the group, "Doctors, how shall we proceed?"

Dr. Franklin answered, "We should begin with coordinating our efforts with Voyager."

Harry Kim held up a PADD which he had been carrying. "Here is the information you requested."

He passed the PADD to Todd, who then gave it to Naomi after a quick glance at it, "Ensign Wildman is in charge of all the data. After we have assembled all the resources and personnel, we should wake the first group of drones and begin the extractions. I also suggest everyone who will be involved in this mission get something to eat and take a break before we begin. We'll be working steadily with few opportunities for relaxation."

Dax nodded her agreement, "Captain Chakotay, have you considered assigning a liaison officer to work here?"

"Yes, Commander Kim will be the liaison officer. Is there anything else we need to do?"

"No, I think that's all we need to do in preparation. Doctors, is there anything else?"

Todd and Voyager's EMH both shook their heads. "No Captain, I think we should get started."

Dax stood, "Dismissed."

Doctor Franklin, Icheb, Naomi and Harry made their way down to the Lindbergh's sickbay while Chakotay, Seven and the Doc transported to Voyager. The EMH wanted to check his sickbay.

* * *

While Todd and Icheb were once again taking inventory of the resources in sickbay, Harry and Naomi were working at the Command Center. "Naomi, how do you like life on the Lindbergh?"

"Well, it's very different from Voyager. But I like the people I'm working with, and I really enjoy the work. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I've found romance here."

"Really, have I met him?"

"Yes, it's Icheb."

Todd and Icheb joined them, "Well, Icheb and I have finished our inventory analysis. Are you two done with the information?"

When Naomi and Harry answered in the affirmative, Icheb suggested they go to lunch.

Once in the turbolift, Harry continued with the subject he and Naomi were discussing in sickbay, "Icheb, I hear you and Naomi are involved?"

Todd broke in before Icheb could respond, "Yep, they're an item. And a very cute couple they are too."

"I bet they are. However, it is a little disturbing to me that Naomi Wildman is old enough to _be_ in a romantic relationship." As he said this, Harry gave Naomi a brief one armed hug. "I remember the day she was born. Just as clearly as I remember the day we found Icheb."

By this time they were standing in front of the replicators in the Mess Hall. When Harry heard Naomi order Leola Root Stew he was surprised. "You have Leola Root Stew on this ship?"

"We do, when I got here Icheb told me he had spent months working to approximate several of Neelix' recipes. He also programmed Chadre Kab and Pleeka Rind Casserole into the replicator system."

Harry ordered Pleeka Rind Casserole and the group made their way over to a table. Todd commented, "Another Voyager with bizarre culinary tastes. What happened to your taste buds in the Delta Quadrant?"

Icheb, Harry and Naomi answered as one, "Neelix."

* * *

The next few days were rather hectic, the first group of drones, which included Korok, underwent the extraction process. Crewmembers with biology backgrounds were in on the mission. The sickbays on both ships were buzzing with constant activity.

While the sickbays were busy, the bridges of both ships were full of slightly bored crewmembers. Staying stationary made for little need of helm or navigational duties. The crewmembers of both ships who weren't necessary to the mission were taking advantage of the lull to run diagnostics and do routine ship maintenance.

While Captain Dax was in her ready room going over the crew and duty rosters she was surprised to hear her combadge beep followed by her Science Officer T'Phir's voice, "Captain to the bridge."

"Report," the Captain commanded as she strode onto the bridge.

"Captain, we have just detected a large fleet of small ships on an intercept course. They seem to be heading straight for our position."

"I assume you've hailed them?"

"Of course, they haven't responded."

"How long until they get here?"

"Several hours."

"Let's go to yellow alert until we determine if they can't or won't respond to our hails."

As the yellow alert lights activated, Captain Dax taped her combadge, "Dax to Icheb."

His response was immediate, "Go ahead Captain."

"Report to the bridge, Commander."

"On my way, Icheb out."

In the few minutes it took for Icheb to arrive on the bridge the Captain and Science Officer discussed the situation. They determined the fleet was comprised of over fifty small ships, with one larger ship of the same configuration in the lead. Due to their size, the smaller ships were most likely manned by no more than a dozen beings. The larger ship, however, could accommodate hundreds. After double checking with the ship's computer, T'Phir determined the ships were of a previously unknown configuration.

As Icheb stepped onto the bridge, the Captain drew his attention to the viewscreen, "Commander, it seems we are to have company. We just detected this fleet on a direct course for our position."

Icheb looked at the ships on the viewscreen with a somewhat puzzled expression on his face. "Captain, there is something vaguely familiar about those ships."

The Captain was surprised, "Really, we just checked their configuration with the computer and didn't find a match."

"I'm not surprised. I don't think I've seen that configuration before. It's something about their general shape which is familiar. But I can't remember from where I remember them."

Dax ordered, "Hail Voyager."

When Captain Chakotay's face filled the viewscreen, Dax asked him, "Captain, I assume you have noticed the approaching fleet?"

"Yes, have _you_ been able to determine their origin?"

"No, we haven't, but Commander Icheb thinks they look similar to ships he's seen before, but can't remember when or where."

"Well, that is certainly interesting. Some of our bridge crewmembers have the same impression. We've seen something similar, but can't place where or when."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Don't own Star Trek. Not making any money.

* * *

In the Mess Hall Todd, Icheb, Threm, Naomi, and Mary were having their dinner. Since everyone on the ship was speculating about the fleet of ships coming toward them, it wasn't surprising this group was as well. 

Todd was trying to jog Icheb's memory, "Do you have any idea when you saw the ship which those coming toward our position resemble? Was it when you were a Borg, or when you were on Voyager?"

"Todd, I really don't know, but since some of the Voyager crewmembers have the same impression, I would guess it would be when I was on Voyager."

Todd tried another tactic, "I must say, when I saw the ships, they reminded me of paper airplanes."

Naomi asked, "What are paper airplanes?"

Todd considered for a moment the best way to describe them. "They're an ancient toy. Children used to take pieces of paper and fold them into aerodynamic shapes and try to make them glide in the air by launching them with their hands. Some were very simplistic, and others were very elaborate. The one thing most of them had in common was the bow of the paper airplane usually resembled a triangle, or an arrow. When I looked at the footage of the fleet, the ships seemed to have that characteristic."

Mary, who had been eating while the others were talking, joined the discussion, "Well, since they'll be here soon, why don't we just wait to see who they are when they arrive."

Naomi agreed with her roommate, "Mary's suggestion makes sense to me."

Todd replied, "Well, yes, obviously it makes sense. But, it would put an end to my pointless speculation, which would be no fun at all."

Threm patted the doctors shoulder, "We wouldn't want you to stop having fun now, would we? To change the subject, how are the extractions going?"

"They're going quite smoothly. The patients seem to be coping well with the procedures. Like the Doc said, this is a massive undertaking, we may be at it for a long time. I must say, however, I'm enjoying it tremendously. Doctors usually enter the field of medicine to help people, and I'm thrilled to be able to help so many beings. Freeing drones from the collective is very rewarding."

* * *

The operations officer on the bridge announced, "Captain, the lead ship is hailing us."

"Call Commander Icheb to the bridge, then put them on screen."

Almost immediately the viewscreen filled with the image of a woman whose hair was untidy and the almost crazed look in her eye didn't bode well. "Federation vessels, I suggest you distance yourself from the Borg vessels. Our quarrel isn't with you, it's with the Borg. Our society has been all but wiped out by the Borg and we've spent years dedicated to building our fleet in an attempt to eradicate as many Borg vessels as possible. When we detected this large gathering of Borg vessels, we set a course immediately. Our fleet may seem small, but I assure you, we are quite capable of destroying those Borg vessels."

Captain Dax wasn't sure what she expected, but this wasn't it. "I'm Captain Dax of the Federation Starship Lindbergh. The Borg ships here are not part of the collective. We are currently in the process of extracting as much of their Borg technology from the drones as is possible. When our task is complete, they should function as individuals. These are not the Borg you should be attacking."

"They are Borg and that is the only fact I care about. I don't want to attack you, but if you attempt to defend those vessels, you will be fired upon."

Before Dax spoke, she took a deep calming breath. She had been a counselor, and could tell this woman was on the edge. Her mental state was obviously precarious. If she said the wrong thing, or even the right thing, but in the wrong way, she knew, the woman would shut down. If that happened, Dax doubted she could continue any sort of discourse with the woman. "Ma'am, I understand your antipathy toward the Borg. I really do, one of my dearest friends lost his wife to the Borg. I believe the Borg are a menace and a threat to everyone. However, these vessels are not part of the collective, they are just trying to get their lives back."

The woman on the screen seemed slightly calmer, but her words contradicted her demeanor, "I don't care. They're Borg. You say you know someone who has been affected by the Borg. I doubt their loss compares to ours. The Borg attacked our planet repeatedly. We tried to rebuild, but couldn't. Every time we were on the verge of rebuilding, they attacked again. We were without a space faring fleet for years. Our entire population has been united in our effort to rebuild not only our fleet, but our civilization. It has taken the cooperation and effort of our entire population to design and build these ships which have only one purpose, the destruction of the collective. There isn't one person among our population who hasn't lost a loved one to the Borg. Think about that, _not one_ person among our _entire_ population. I lost my son to the Borg."

Dax had been focusing so intently on not doing anything to agitate the already agitated leader of the fleet, she hadn't heard her First Officer enter the bridge. She was surprised when his voice sounded from next to her, "You didn't loose your son to the Borg, you sacrificed him to your unrelenting quest against the Borg, didn't you Mother?"


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine.

Author's Note: This is a short chapter this week. We've got family coming for the weekend & I didn't have a ton of time. Next week's chapter will be more extensive. Thanks for reading!

* * *

The bridge of the Lindbergh was filled with stunned silence. On the viewscreen Yifay, Icheb's mother, was opening and closing her mouth in an odd simulacrum of a terran fish out of water. The sound of a transporter seemed unnaturally loud, but still nobody on the bridge moved. Seven of Nine appeared beside Icheb and placed a hand on his shoulder, silently comforting him. Obviously Voyager had been monitoring the communication between the Lindbergh and the lead vessel of the approaching fleet. 

Yifay finally seemed to find her voice, "Ich…Icheb?"

* * *

In the turbolift, Naomi was silently urging the 'lift to go faster, even though she knew it was futile. Seven had called her as soon as she recognized Icheb's mother. She told Naomi she would be beaming over at once. 

Finally the turbolift doors opened onto the bridge. When they did, she heard the woman on the screen say, "Ich…Icheb?" Naomi moved toward Icheb, on whose shoulder Seven's hand was resting, attempting to show support for Icheb.

Naomi moved to his other side, but mindful of the Captain's regulations, did not touch him. She was silently sending him all her love and support.

* * *

Icheb's response was terse, "Yes." 

"You've grown up."

"I have. People tend to do that, unless their parents throw their children's lives away."

"Icheb, we…"

Icheb cut across whatever she was going to say, "Why are you here?"

"We've devised a better and more efficient method of fighting the Borg."

"Why, did you run out of children?"

Dax was staying out of the exchange, it was clear her First Officer was a more appropriate choice to handle this strange woman. She surreptitiously moved to the communications station and opened a frequency to Captain Chakotay. Keeping her voice down, so as not to disturb main conversation she asked, "I assume you are monitoring this?"

"Affirmative Captain, do you need background information on the situation?"

"You read my mind Captain. What can you tell me about this woman?"

"Only that, if I were in Icheb's place, I don't think I could be as polite."

Dax was shocked, she had never seen Icheb be less polite. His chiding behavior was out of character for him. She glanced at her first officer then back to the communications station. "I know very little about Icheb's family situation, only the bare facts."

Chakotay was tight lipped when he responded, he was clearly upset at the memory, "They engineered him from birth to transmit a pathogen which was deadly to the Borg. They then strapped him into a ship emitting a false warp signature, making the vessel seem more powerful, solely to attract the Borg. They wanted their son to go through the trauma of assimilation in order to further their agenda. When we located his family, we returned him to them not knowing this. After we left him, they did the same thing to him again. Luckily Seven was suspicious and we went back to investigate. We were barely in time to rescue him from being assimilated again. When he was first coming to terms with this, he felt he had let his parents down by not being assimilated again. It took some time, but with our support, he came to realize what a horrible thing had been done to him."

Dax once again looked at her First Officer and had to agree with Captain Chakotay. If she had been in his place, it would be difficult refraining from railing at the woman on the viewscreen. She also understood why he was flanked by Seven and Naomi. "Thank you Captain." She closed the communication and returned to her previous position in proximity to Icheb and his two defenders.

Yifay was talking, "When we noticed this congregation of Borg vessels, we came here to test our new technology on a sufficient concentration of ships without risking a confrontation with a heavily armed Borg complex. We don't want to fire on you or your vessel, but we will destroy those Borg ships."

Icheb responded, "You don't expect me to believe you are truly interested in my welfare? These Borg aren't part of the collective. They pose no threat to you or anyone else."

"They are still Borg and they still represent the best opportunity for us to test our new ships and weapons. I'll say this for the last time, withdraw. Don't protect those ships or you will be destroyed as well." With this she closed the communication and the Brunali fleet started to surround the Borg vessels, the Lindbergh and Voyager.

Icheb's answer was "Red alert!"

Moments later T'Phir, the Lindbergh's science officer announced to the bridge, "Captain, my scans of the fleet show their ships are employing Bio Neural gel packs. And those gel packs are remarkably similar to Voyager's."


	14. Chapter 14

Obligatory disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

* * *

Dax looked at T'phir, her science officer and asked, "Are you sure? Sorry, of course you are. How did they get Bio Neural technology?"

Before T'Phir could answer, the officer manning communications announced, "Captain, we're receiving a priority hail from Starfleet. Actually, the hail is for everyone in the area: us, Voyager, the Borg vessels as well as the Brunali fleet."

"On screen."

As the communications officer relayed the communication to the main viewscreen it was divided into four sections. In each section a different image was shown; Captain Chakotay was in one, Yifay, Icheb's mother was in another and Korok, the leader of the Borg contingent who was one of the first to go through the extraction process, was in another. In the largest section, representing the hail from Starfleet, was Admiral Janeway's image. "Captain Dax, let me introduce myself since you are the only one whom I have never met. I'm Admiral Kathryn Janeway, I'm aboard a high warp shuttle en route to your location."

Dax nodded her acknowledgement, as did Captain Chakotay and Korok, but Yifay remained motionless. Janeway continued, "We have been monitoring your communications, and it appears you have reached an impasse. Is that a correct assessment?"

Since Janeway was clearly still addressing her, Dax responded, "Yes Admiral, it is."

"I hope I might be able to facilitate some agreement, or at least an understanding between the Starfleet, Borg and Brunali vessels. Will you all agree to stand down until I arrive?"

Yifay was the first to respond, "You want us to wait until you can arrive with your attack fleet and attempt to destroy us? Never! We will destroy those Borg vessels before your reinforcements arrive."

Admiral Janeway held up her hands, palms out in an attempt to calm Icheb's mother. "Yifay, please listen to me. I hope you will remember I was able to smooth tensions between you, your husband and Seven of Nine. That is all I am hoping to do here and now. Feel free to scan my vessel. I am on a shuttle with only a pilot accompanying me. I have no attack fleet and I mean you no harm. My only hope is to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. A sentiment I am sure you share. I'll give you a few moments to confirm what I have said in relation to my vessel and its occupants."

Yifay's image disappeared from the viewscreen, but all the others remained. Chakotay asked his former CO, "Admiral, are you coming to join the family reunion?"

"Certainly. Why else would I be joining you?" Chakotay and Janeway were well aware their communications were most likely being monitored by the Brunali, so they kept their conversation light and generic. "I just wanted to see all your bright, shiny faces and decided on a…what did Tom Paris call them? Road trip, yes, I decided to take a road trip."

Before anyone else had a chance to speak, Yifay's image appeared once again on the view screen. "Janeway, we have confirmed your story. You and your pilot are alone on a shuttle, and we agree to stand down until you arrive. I cannot forget how helpful you were when you returned Icheb to us." As she spoke, the ships in her fleet broke off from surrounding the other vessels, and moved away out of weapons range.

Admiral Janeway was pleased, "Excellent. Do I have everyone's agreement to wait to take any further action until I arrive?" She wanted to make it clear to the Brunali woman she wouldn't be accosted in the interim.

Both Dax and Chakotay immediately answered in the affirmative. Only Korok has remained silent. After a brief pause he answered as well, "I remember a service you rendered me as well Admiral. We will stand down." Korok didn't feel it necessary to mention on an open communications channel that only skeleton crews manned each of the Borg vessels at this time.

"Excellent. I will be at your location in 4 hours, Janeway out." Her image disappeared from the screen.

Yifay wanted to make her position clear, "If any of your vessels make a move toward our vessels, we will defend our fleet."

Dax called on her counselor's training, keeping her tone as placating as possible, "Of course, but you have my assurances, no such move will come."

Yifay seemed mollified, "As long as that is understood. We will wait for Janeway's arrival." Her image disappeared as well.

During this exchange, Korok had closed his communication as well. Captain's Dax and Chakotay were left to speak to each other. "Captain Chakotay, I have to say, Admiral Janeway's communication was most fortunately timed."

Chakotay smiled, "She does have a knack for being in the right place at the right time."

"In light of this new development, I think we'll go to yellow alert."

"We will as well." His attention shifted to his wife, "Seven, are you going to remain on the Lindbergh?"

"I think I will, if you have no objections."

"Of course I haven't any objections. I'll see you later, Chakotay out."

Icheb had been standing silently next to his chair during all this. Now the danger seemed to be averted, at least temporarily, the emotion of his unexpected encounter with his mother caught up to him and he collapsed into his chair.

Seven addressed Captain Dax, "Captain, may I accompany Commander Icheb to sickbay? I think he should be seen by the doctor."

Dax agreed at once. She also knew without being asked that both of the women by Icheb's side were worried about him. "Why don't you and Ensign Wildman both accompany him to sickbay?"

Naomi's expression conveyed her gratitude toward the Captain. Icheb stood up and was flanked by Seven and Naomi as they ushered him into the turbolift. When the doors shut, Icheb looked from Seven to Naomi and asked, "Where are we going?"

Seven answered, "To sickbay, we think Doctor Franklin should take a look at you."

"Why, I'm fine."

Naomi replied, "Really, then why did you come with us without knowing where we were taking you?"

"Because…I don't know…why did I?"

Seven answered him, "You see, you're not fine, you might be in shock. We should just make sure."

They exited the turbolift and went directly to sickbay.

Although sickbay was buzzing with the activity of the several extraction processes which were currently underway, Todd looked up at them as they entered and asked, "What's going on? Why did we go to red alert?"

"It is complicated. Doctor, you need to check out Icheb."

Icheb climbed onto a biobed as Todd ran his tricorder in Icheb's direction. "He's showing symptoms of mild shock. What happened to him?" Not waiting for an answer, the doctor filled a hypospray and pressed it to Icheb's neck. "You should be feeling better now Icheb. What happened to you?"

"Thanks, I do feel better."

When it became obvious Icheb wasn't going to answer his question of what happened, Todd insisted. "Icheb, I'm not asking what happened to you out of nosiness, I need to know for medical reasons. Is this likely to reoccur? Are others likely to be affected?"

"You know the fleet we detected…"

When Icheb was slow to finish the sentence, Todd persisted, "What about them, did they fire some type of unknown weapon? Is that what affected you?"

Naomi, who was standing with her hand on Icheb's leg answered. "No, it wasn't a weapon. It was his mother. She's in command of the fleet. Considering their history, I'm not surprised her unexpected appearance would affect Icheb like this."

Icheb looked at the three faces surrounding him and realized he was worrying them all. "I'm feeling much better now. Todd, would you recommend a meal, because I'm hungry."

"A doctor can rarely go wrong recommending a nutritious meal. Just keep it light."

Icheb hopped off the biobed, "Who'll join me?"

Naomi responded to the invitation, "I will, I could use a snack."

Todd began to put his medical equipment away, "I'll join you in a moment after I clean up. Would you assist me Seven?"

"Of course Doctor."

As soon as the Sickbay doors closed on Naomi and Icheb, Todd turned to Seven, "I don't really need help, I just wanted to discuss what happened with Icheb."

"I surmised as much."

"How did his mother get here from the Delta Quadrant, and why is she pursuing Icheb?"

"We don't know how she got here, details are still rather sketchy. She hasn't been very informative. Actually, she's been rather combative. However, she isn't pursuing Icheb, she's pursuing the Borg."

"I should have realized, from what I gathered from my study of Voyager, she wasn't Mother of the Year material. So, how did we go from red alert to yellow alert if that crazy woman is on the loose?"

"Admiral Janeway diffused the situation. She got everyone to stand down until she arrives in 4 hours."

Todd was thrilled, "Admiral Janeway's coming? Is there any chance we could get Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres to come as well? I'd love to meet Voyager's entire senior staff!"

Seven smiled, "The way things are going, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of them showing up. Shall we join Icheb and Naomi Wildman?"

Todd had completed stowing his equipment in their proper places, "Certainly, what strange dishes do you think they'll be eating when we arrive?"

* * *

When Seven and Todd entered the Mess Hall they were surprised by the sound of laughter. The source of the hilarity was obvious; Naomi, Icheb and Harry Kim were seated at a table laughing so hard tears were streaming down Harry's face.

When they approached the table Harry was saying in a mock stern voice, "'Suffice to say, the list is extensive.' I don't think they realized how funny they were. It was like being on a ship with an old comedy team Tom made me watch on his television, Abbott and Costello."

Todd observed, "Icheb, you seem to be feeling better."

"Yes, much better thank you. Join us, we were just discussing the ever hilarious relationship between Tuvok and Neelix."

As the newcomers were getting settled, Naomi added, "Just once, I wanted Tuvok to refer to Neelix as Mr. Talaxian."

Seven joined the discussion, "It amazed me that Tuvok always tried to relate to Neelix using nothing but pure Vulcan logic. It was most illogical considering it never worked."

Icheb agreed, "Neelix and logic aren't the most natural combination."

Naomi teased, "Why do you say that Icheb, just because he tried to persuade Tuvok to dance at a party?"

"That's one example. Another would be his intermittent attempts to get Tuvok to smile."

Harry realized the topic of conversation was excluding Todd, "I'm sorry Dr. Franklin, this must be very boring for you." Harry was somewhat surprised when Naomi started laughing. "What's so funny?"

Icheb explained, "Harry, Todd is not just merely curious about Voyager, he has a full blown obsession with Voyager. He is probably supremely happy hearing Voyager stories."

Todd was beaming, "Icheb is correct. Feel free to continue your conversation as if I'm not even here."

Naomi went back to the subject of Tuvok and Neelix, "I do believe, though, they were truly fond of each other. Don't you remember, when Neelix was leaving the ship, Tuvok did a dance step for Neelix. It was very touching really."

Todd asked Harry, "Do you think they became fond of each other before or after they were fused into one being?"

"I'm sure that is one part of it. Also, the incident where Tuvok had severe memory loss during which he and Neelix spent a great deal of time together was another factor which deepened their understanding of each other."

Naomi continued with the previous tenor of the discussion, "Do you remember Neelix' efforts to 'improve' plomeek soup? Some of them were truly atrocious."

Icheb went off on a different tangent, "Neelix was determined to help Tuvok out in Security."

Harry smiled at the memory, "Neelix was tenacious about it, and it worked. Neelix pulled more than a few duty shifts with security. I think it was another of his attempts to 'crack Mr. Vulcan's façade.'"

Todd finally realized what the others were doing. In his delight at the conversation which had been centered on his favorite topic, he hadn't recognized what was going on. Harry, Naomi and Seven were distracting Icheb, trying to make sure he was unable to dwell on the encounter with his mother. Todd's affection for the Voyager crew swelled. They truly were a family, watching out for each other, and taking care of each other.


	15. Chapter 15

Obligatory Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established therein. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Author's note: If I were given to titling my chapters, this one would be titled, "The calm before the storm."

* * *

Chakotay and the Voyager's EMH were sitting in Chakotay's ready room. "Doc, how do you think they got here?"

"My guess would be they utilized the transwarp conduit in proximity to their home world."

"If so, it seems we didn't deal the Borg as crippling a blow as we'd hope when we destroyed their transwarp hub."

"Well, either that or the Borg rebuilt it."

"Doctor, that's a disturbing thought. Of course, with the Borg, nothing is impossible." In an abrupt change of subject Chakotay asked, "What do you think of this new romance between Icheb and Naomi Wildman?"

"It's sweet isn't it? Of course, it too, is disturbing. Emotionally, I just can't make myself believe little Naomi is old enough to be in a romantic relationship. Logically, however, I know she is old enough."

"I'm not at all surprised about it. Of course, I can't go into any further detail, temporal prime directive." This pronouncement was accompanied by a mischievous smile.

"Oh sure, bring up the old temporal prime directive. Sometimes I think you enjoy being mysterious. That aside, why aren't you surprised by their romance?"

"Well, let's just say, I had a feeling they would mesh well as adults. They are a handsome couple aren't they? Should we get back to more serious issues? What are we going to do if the Brunali fail to see reason in this situation?"

"Considering the lengths they have gone to in the past, I suspect they won't see reason in this situation, or any other for that matter. Any speculation about what the Brunali are up to is fruitless until we get more information. I would much prefer to gossip about Icheb and Naomi Wildman."

The door chime to the ready room sounded. The newcomer was Security Chief Ayala with a tactical readiness report. Chakotay invited him to stay, "Ayala, won't you join us? We were gossiping."

The tall former Maquis member lowered himself into the chair next to the Doctor, "Excellent, what is the subject of the gossip?"

The EMH, always eager to participate in Voyager's unofficial favorite pastime told Ayala, "We have been discussing the romantic relationship between Icheb and Naomi Wildman."

Ayala asked, "So, the rumors I've been hearing are true? I wasn't sure if I should believe them. You know how gossip spreads on Voyager."

The Doctor reported, "I can definitely confirm it. I've seen them in action."

Captain Chakotay feigned shock, "Really Doc, we don't need intimate details."

The Doctor huffed, "Don't be ridiculous, I meant I have seen them hug, and exchange a few tender kisses, that's all."

It was Ayala's turn to act shocked, "That's slightly disconcerting. Doctor are you sure Naomi Wildman is old enough to be involved in a romance?"

Voyager's Captain and EMH both chuckled. Ayala was confused, "What?"

Chakotay answered him, "Ayala, we have all had almost that exact reaction. It's hard to imagine little Naomi Wildman has grown up."

Ayala was shaking his head. "It's strange, but I had an easier time coping with my son's growing up."

"I'm not surprised," replied the EMH, "you missed 7 years of your son's development. During our time traipsing around in the Delta Quadrant, you remembered them as they were when last you saw them. When we arrived home, you were confronted with the fact they were no longer the same age. They had changed, and your perception of them immediately switched to thinking of them as they were when we returned.

"For four years, Naomi was the only child on Voyager. We all remember the day she was born. We all watched her grow. Due to her unique position in the Voyager family we all felt as though she was our child. Then, when we returned home, and no longer saw her on a daily basis, our perception of her basically stopped. She remained, in our minds, the same young girl she was when we retuned."

"Well, that makes sense," agreed Ayala. "However, I still don't think she's old enough to be having a romance. If she insists on being in one, though, Icheb is a good choice." Ayala turned his attention from the room at large to his Captain, "What does Seven think about it?"

"She couldn't be happier. She told me it could only, how did she put it, 'reinforce the bonds of our family.' I have to agree."

Ayala suddenly changed the subject when he asked the Doctor, "Is it true the Lindbergh's replicator system features some of Neelix' recipes?"

"Yes, I'm not sure how many of his culinary creations are included, but I know Icheb has recreated Leola Root Stew, Chadre Kab, and Pleeka Rind Casserole."

"Do you think they would notice if I transported over to have dinner? I would love a plate of stir fried Chadre Kab."

Chakotay remarked, "You know Neelix once told me there would come a day when I would relish every bite of Leola and I think he was right. Some Leola Root Stew sounds good. Perhaps we should organize a raid on the Lindbergh's Mess Hall. Would you care to join us, Doc?"

"No thanks, I really must be getting back to sickbay."

After the Doctor left, Chakotay tapped his combadge, "Chakotay to Seven."

Her reply was instant, "Go ahead."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the Lindbergh Mess Hall."

"Great, do you mind if Ayala and I join you? We're both in the mood for some Neelix food."

"Certainly you may join us, we await your arrival."

Chakotay again tapped his combadge, "Captain Chakotay to Captain Dax."

Again the response was immediate, "Yes Captain?"

"Captain, one of my officers and I would like to sample some of the culinary dishes created by Neelix which Icheb has programmed into your replicator system. Have you any objection to our coming over?"

"Of course not, Captain, enjoy your meal. Dax out."

Chakotay and his Security Chief made their way to the transporter room.

* * *

When Chakotay and Ayala entered Lindbergh's Mess Hall, they went directly to the bank of replicators and ordered their desired dishes. They then made their way over to the table where Seven and the others were seated. Ayala set down his plate. Both Naomi and Icheb were standing to greet him. After Naomi hugged him, Icheb shook his hand.

Chakotay addressed the Lindbergh's CMO, "Doctor Franklin, may I present my Chief of Security Lieutenant Ayala."

The men nodded their acknowledgements. Todd asked, "Lieutenant, if I'm not mistaken, you were on Voyager while it was in the Delta Quadrant?"

"Yes sir, I was part of Chakotay's crew before joining Voyager."

Todd was obviously delighted to be meeting another member of the Voyager family. "Did both of you really come over to sample some of our replicator fare?"

Chakotay answered, "Certainly. Of course seeing my wife isn't a drawback."

Ayala had tasted his stir fried Chadre Kab, "Icheb, this is excellent. It tastes just like Neelix' Chadre Kab."

"Thank you. Captain, did you know we would be in the Mess Hall when you called?"

"No, Icheb, I guessed, however according to the Doc, your crew spends a lot of time eating, so I took a chance."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own Voyager! Only the original characters and story are mine!

Author's Note: Okay, so this would be "The Calm Before the Storm, Part 2."

* * *

The shuttle door opened and two people emerged into the Lindbergh's shuttle bay. Captain Dax was waiting to greet them. "Welcome to the Lindbergh Admiral Janeway, I'm Captain Ezri Dax, it's a pleasure to meet you."

After the two women shook hands, Admiral Janeway replied, "I'm glad to meet you as well, let me introduce my pilot, Tom Paris. Although Mr. Paris is no longer in Starfleet, he agreed to act as my pilot for this mission."

Dax shook hands with Tom, "Welcome aboard Mr. Paris. I've heard a great deal about you from my First Officer."

Tom smiled as he replied, "Don't believe a word of it."

Since the initial pleasantries were over, the Admiral got down to business. "Before Yifay and Korok come over for our initial meeting, I would like to discuss the situation beforehand with you and Captain Chakotay. Shall we have him transport over?"

Dax answered, "There's no need. He is already here in our Mess Hall. He and one of his officers came over to eat dinner. Icheb has programmed some of Mr. Neelix dishes into our replicator system, and several of the Voyager crew have come over to sample them."

Tom interrupted, "Do you happen to know if he has programmed Chadre Kab?"

"Yes, Mr. Paris, he has. Would you like an escort to the Mess Hall?"

"No ma'am, I think I can find it." Tom looked at Admiral Janeway, "That is, if I'm excused."

"Of course, Tom."

After Tom Paris exited the shuttle bay, Admiral Janeway tapped her combadge, "Janeway to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here, it's good to hear your voice Kathryn."

"Likewise, I hear you're already on the Lindbergh." Without giving him time to respond, the Admiral continued, "Please join Captain Dax and me in the briefing room."

"I'm on my way, Chakotay out."

* * *

Before Chakotay could press the panel which called the turbolift, the doors were opening. Chakotay could hardly believe it when Tom Paris exited the turbolift, "Tom, what are you…"

Before he could finish the question, he found himself being hugged by Tom. "Chakotay, it's so good to see you!"

"Let me guess, you're Kathryn's pilot?"

"Yep, when she contacted me to ask if I would join her, B'Elanna was only too happy to get me out from underfoot. I think I've been driving her a little crazy since I am working from home all the time now. Of course, the opportunity to pilot one of the new Admiral's yachts appealed to me as well."

"Tom, I'd love to catch up with you, but I'm expected in the briefing room. We'll chat later."

"Of course, hey how is the Chadre Kab, or have you tried it?"

Before the turbolift doors closed in front of him, Chakotay answered, "Ayala says it good."

Tom continued down the corridor towards the Mess Hall. When he entered, he saw a table surrounded by members of his Voyager family. Oddly, it was the one person at the table with whom he wasn't familiar who stood up and shouted across the Mess Hall, "Tom Paris!"

With this the attention of the others at the table immediately fell on Tom. He approached the table, "It looks like old home week in here." At this point, everyone at the table was standing to greet him. He was hugged by Seven of Nine, Naomi Wildman and even Harry Kim. He exchanged handshakes with Ayala and Icheb. The small human man who had shouted his name when he arrived, had pulled up a chair for him, "Mr. Paris, I'm Todd, Franklin, Lindbergh's CMO."

Icheb added, "And Voyager enthusiast."

Todd happily elaborated, "Enthusiast, fanatic, whichever you prefer. I happily admit I have been obsessed with Voyager since the day I heard it was lost in the Delta Quadrant."

Tom was amused, "I imagine you must be quite happy with all of us here."

Todd was beaming, "You have no idea!"

Tom looked at Ensign Wildman, "Naomi I can't…"

Before he could finish, "If you are about to say you can't believe how grown up I am, I wish you wouldn't. I've already heard it, too many times."

"Fine, I won't say it. But you do look good in that uniform, how long do you think it will be until you make Captain's Assistant?"

Seven smiled evilly as she answered, "If she doesn't shape up Captain Dax will never let her be the Captain's Assistant. Did you know, Mr. Paris, Naomi Wildman here has to adhere to a specific set of guidelines put in place specifically for her?"

"You're kidding right?" Tom just assumed Seven was trying to be funny. Something she was much better at these days. \

With a resigned shake of her head, Naomi answered him, "No, she isn't actually joking. I have been given a strict set of rules and guidelines to which I must adhere or face punitive measures."

"What in the world did you do? You haven't been on board that long."

Harry jumped in, eager to be the one to tell Tom the news, "She has a boyfriend."

Tom was clearly confused. Harry elaborated, "Icheb. She is fraternizing with her superior officer."

Tom was looking at Icheb, "Am I hearing this right? You and Naomi Wildman are romantically involved? With each other?"

"Yes, we are, thanks Seven."

Tom thought Icheb and Naomi might appreciate a change of subject, something he understood having been involved in a shipboard romance himself. "I hear I can get some Chadre Kab on this ship."

Ayala answered him, "Yes, and it's really good. I had it stir fried, it was just like Neelix made it."

Tom stood up, "If you'll excuse me." When he was at the replicators, he was joined by a Bolian man who had just arrived. "Steamed Chadre Kab."

The Bolian looked at him, "Let me guess, Voyager?"

Tom smiled, "Yep, Tom Paris."

The Bolian shook Tom's hand, "Threm, Lindbergh's Chief Engineer."

Tom went back to table and sat down. "So, Harry, I see you finally got promoted." This had been a standing joke with the two men since Harry received his first promotion immediately after Voyager arrived in the Alpha Quadrant.

"Hey, I'm a full Commander now. First Officer, lot's of responsibility. How's the family?"

"They're fine. B'Elanna is working at Starfleet Academy, teaching Engineering. Miral was top of her class this last year in school. I'm staying busy writing holonovels."

Seven asked Tom, "Not that we aren't glad to see you, but why are you here?"

"Admiral Janeway needed a pilot, and B'Elanna needed me to get out of her house. Since the Academy is on break, I think she was tired of seeing me all day, every day. She was really very enthusiastic when the Admiral called and asked me to pilot her."

There was a brief break in the conversation as Threm pulled up a chair to join the group. Todd stood up, "I think we need to pull another table over, this one is just too crowded." The CMO and Ayala tended to retrieving another table. Once the tables were in place they all got resettled into their chairs.

* * *

In the briefing room, Admiral Janeway and Captains Dax and Chakotay were seated informally around the table. "Captains, I wanted us to have a chance to speak before the others came over. Has it been determined how the Brunali fleet got here?"

Chakotay answered, "No ma'am, the Doc and I were speculating earlier, and he thinks the Borg just rebuilt the transwarp hub. And as such, the Brunali just used the transwarp conduit close to their home world. Kathryn, are you aware the Brunali fleet utilizes bio neural circuitry which is almost indistinguishable from Voyager's?"

The Admiral was clearly surprised, "No, how did THAT happen?"

"I hate to repeat myself, but we don't know."

Dax joined the discussion, "My science officer has determined there is less than 1 percent difference in the readings from Voyager's bio neural circuitry and the Brunali bio neural circuitry."

"That can't be a coincidence." The Admiral was clearly upset by this.

"We didn't think so either Admiral."

"Kathryn, the most likely explanation would be Icheb's parents used Voyager's database to procure the information on our systems."

"That would make the most sense. And I asked them to stay on board Voyager. By the way, how is Icheb?"

"When I left the Mess Hall, he was surrounded by friends who were keeping him distracted. They were reminiscing about our time in the Delta Quadrant."

The Admiral approved, "I realize he is your First Officer, Captain Dax, but I want to minimize the exposure he has to the Brunali."

"I agree Admiral, the less he sees of his mother the better. After his first encounter with her, he was treated for mild shock."

Janeway said, "I'm not surprised."

Chakotay shook his head in agreement, "Nor am I."

Janeway got them back to the situation at hand, "When we meet with Yifay, I am convinced Korok should be here. Captain Dax, do you have a visual record of Korok's appearance when he arrived?"

"Yes Admiral."

"Good, I would like to use that image to contrast with Korok's current appearance. I want it to be clear to Yifay that Korok and his people are no longer Borg and as such shouldn't be destroyed. Frankly, I don't hold out much hope for the success of our meetings, but I thought we should try. If Yifay is still as zealous as she was when we encountered her in the Delta Quadrant, I doubt she'll be reasonable in this instance."


	17. Chapter 17

Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, and I'm not making any money.

Author's note: Sorry for the re-re-re-posting, darn typos!

* * *

Tom took his first bite of his steamed Chadre Kab then he looked at Ayala, "I see what you mean. This is excellent, Neelix would be proud." 

As Tom continued to eat, Threm, Lindbergh's Chief Engineer asked "Commander Kim, do you know what the situation regarding the Brunali fleet is?"

"No, Captain Chakotay was called to the briefing room not too long ago. Most likely, the Captains are meeting with Admiral Janeway prior to their meeting with the others." As he said this, Harry glanced over at Icheb. He didn't really want to discuss Icheb's mother with him at the table. They had all been working very hard to avoid the subject.

Icheb seemed to know what he was thinking, "It's fine Harry. I know you all want to discuss my insane mother. I've overcome my initial shock at seeing her. I know Admiral Janeway got everyone to stand down until she arrived, but I don't really see Yifay being reasonable about anything." As he was speaking, the Lindbergh's CMO Todd Franklin pulled out a medical tricorder and began scanning Icheb.

Threm asked him, "Todd, what are you doing?"

"I'm scanning Icheb."

"Obviously, but why?"

"Threm, I can't tell you that, Doctor patient confidentiality."

Icheb looked at Threm, "He's probably checking to make sure I'm recovering properly. He had to treat me earlier for mild shock. It was a reaction to seeing my mother."

While Icheb was speaking, Naomi looked around the Mess Hall. After confirming their group was alone in the Mess Hall, she took her hand off the table, and as unobtrusively as possible, she reached under the table and laid her hand on Icheb's leg. She knew he was discussing his reaction to his mother because the subject was unavoidable in the current situation, but she still wanted him to know she loved and supported him during this difficult time.

Ayala picked up his plate and started to stand up, "As much as I would enjoy sitting here and reminiscing, I really need to get back to Voyager. It was nice to meet you Doctor Franklin, Lieutenant Threm. Hopefully, I'll see you all later."

Harry stood up as well, "With the Captain over here, I should get back to Voyager as well." The two men put their dishware into the replicator for recycling and left the Mess Hall.

Moments after Kim and Ayala left, an Ensign with a PADD entered the Mess Hall. "Commander Icheb, this is for you." After delivering the PADD, he left without another word.

Naomi glanced over at the PADD in Icheb's hand, "Well, what is it?"

When Icheb finished reading he answered her, "I am, for the foreseeable future, to work with the Doctor and the rest of you in Sickbay. I think the Captain wants me to stay as far away from my mother as is possible."

Naomi smiled at Icheb, "I agree with the Captain."

Todd added his approval, "It is the wisest course, medically anyway. Speaking of Sickbay, I need to get back there. I have lingered here long enough. Shall we?" Todd, Seven, Icheb and Naomi all stood up.

Tom Paris joked, "Don't mind me, I'll just sit here with Mr. Threm and enjoy my Chadre Kab."

* * *

The Lindbergh's briefing room was once again the site of a meeting. Admiral Kathryn Janeway looked at the other attendees before beginning. Present were the Admiral, Captains Dax and Chakotay, Korok and Icheb's mother Yifay. 

The Admiral spoke, "In order to simplify this meeting, I asked only the leaders of each ship or contingent to be here."

Yifay didn't let the Admiral continue, "Where is my son? I thought he would be here."

The effort it took Admiral Janeway to restrain herself from lashing out at Yifay was supreme. The audacity of the woman referring to Icheb as her son after all Yifay had done to intentionally injure Icheb outraged Admiral Janeway. Luckily her inner turmoil was not outwardly visible, "Icheb is occupied elsewhere." Janeway didn't feel it necessary to explain the whereabouts of Icheb to Yifay. Chakotay informed her earlier that Icheb was in the Mess Hall surrounded by friends and loved ones who all seemed to think Icheb could use some company and frivolous conversation, a tactic with which Kathryn Janeway whole heartedly agreed.

"I especially wanted you to meet Korok. Computer display image Lindbergh Alpha-723, please." After the image appeared on the viewscreen, Admiral Janeway continued, "This is Korok as he appeared when his contingent first met the Lindbergh. As you can see, his appearance has changed significantly."

Janeway paused hoping Yifay would take time to truly compare the viewscreeen image with Korok as he currently appeared. The change was dramatic. Korok's skin was no longer the gray color associated with the Borg, his natural pigmentation had returned. There were other obvious major changes. He no longer had an ocular implant, but an eye. He had two arms which showed no Borg implements, and his exo-plating was gone as well.

Although Yifay did look from the viewscreen to Korok, everyone could tell, she was unimpressed with the transformation. Her next words confirmed it, "So, you've removed some of his Borg implants, does he still have a cortical node? Isn't his physiology still maintained to some degree by Borg nanoprobes?"

"Yes, that is true, but he is now an individual. The rest of his people are going to be transformed to individuals as well. They will all become individuals with free will and self determination. They are not part of the collective and haven't been for years."

"What do you mean? How can they have left the collective?"

"The vessels here were part of a movement among the collective known as Unimatrix Zero. They could recapture some of their individuality while they were regenerating. About a year prior to Voyager returning to the Alpha Quadrant, we assisted these drones to break free from the collective. Korok, would you like to take up the story from here?"

"Certainly, after Janeway and her people helped us to retain our individuality after our regeneration cycles, something we were unable to do before, we found ourselves on vessels with many other drones who had not been part of Unimatrix Zero. We used the same method to disconnect the rest of the drones on our vessels from the collective. In the years which followed all our efforts were directed toward finding other vessels like ours. We slowly found each other, and when all the vessels were gathered together, we became unable to find a direction. Our purpose was no longer clear. We appealed to Starfleet to assist us. We did not know how to proceed. We wanted help governing our new population."

Yifay interrupted, "You mean you wanted to start a new collective?"

"No, we did not. You must understand, we did not have the medical expertise to free ourselves from our Borg components safely. We disconnected our drones from the collective consciousness, but were still physiologically Borg. As such, we did not understand that by freeing ourselves from the majority of our Borg technology, our other problems would be less important. Since we have begun undergoing the extraction process, we have realized that as true individuals, we don't need to come to a consensus as to our future."

Yifay seemed to be considering this, "If I understand you, this group of Borg vessels here has no intention of returning to the collective?"

Janeway was encouraged, "Exactly, they are all going to become individuals, just as Seven of Nine and Icheb have become."

"But they are still Borg. They still have Borg technology in their bodies. There is always a chance they will return to the Borg. It is too risky, I must eradicate them. I must eradicate all the Borg. If any are left, the collective will always be a threat to my people." With this she pressed a control on a device she wore on her wrist and vanished.

Dax reacted immediately, "Red Alert!"

Janeway asked Korok, "What is your tactical situation?"

"While we awaited your arrival, I disbursed those of us who have undergone the extractions evenly on our ships. We also activated several tactical drones which have not been transformed yet. We are now ready to defend ourselves. When the Brunali arrived, we were in no shape to mount a defense. Your delay benefited us greatly, thank you."

"You're welcome." Looking at both Chakotay and Korok, "You should probably get back to your vessels."

"Aye, aye Admiral." Chakotay tapped his commbadge, "Chakotay to Voyager, beam Ayala and me back please."

To his surprise, he was answered by Harry Kim, "Captain, Ayala and I have both returned to Voyager."

"Excellent, energize."

During this exchange, Korok had transported back to his vessel.

As Janeway and Dax emerged from the briefing room to the bridge, the Lindbergh was rocked by an energy weapon. Dax ordered, "Report."

T'Phir, Lindbergh's Science Officer replied, "The Brunali fleet has moved in on our position and opened fire."

Dax addressed the officer at the Tactical station, "Return fire. Helm, coordinate with the other vessels on evasive maneuvers."

She didn't wait for their answers, "T'Phir, I need you to locate their weapons generators and relay it to Tactical. Try and take out the weapons first."

Janeway made herself comfortable in the first officer's chair while Dax was directing the battle.

For the next few minutes the viewscreen showed the Brunali fleet engaged in fierce combat with the Lindbergh, the Voyager and the Borg vessels. The viewscreen wasn't the only confirmation of the conflict, the Lindbergh was shaking with repeated weapons hits, but they had not yet sustained any major damage.

Dax' voice cut through the noise, "T'Phir, any word on those weapon's generator's?"

The officer at Tactical answered, "We've been concentrating on the weapon's generators…"

When he hesitated, Dax turned to look at him, "And?"

"We've taken them out on the lead ship three times."

Dax was obviously confused, "Explain."

T'Phir explained, "We've hit, and destroyed, their weapon's generators three times. Each time, within a matter of seconds, they reappear. I've confirmed they were destroyed, but replaced almost immediately. I don't know how else to explain it except, their weapons power seems to be self replicating. Voyager and the Borg ships are having the same experiences. We cannot take out their weapons."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Don't own Voyager, just the story and original characters.

Author's Note: It's a short chapter this week. Please let me know if you like it!

* * *

Captain Dax hesitated for just a moment, "Okay, we can't take out their weapons, target their propulsion system."

"Which ship Captain?" asked the officer at Tactical.

"Target the lead ship, but don't pass up any opportunities to fire on the smaller vessels." Ezri then addressed her Science Officer, "T'Phir, coordinate with Voyager and the Borg vessels, I want a solution to their auto-regenerative weapon's power sources."

T'Phir and the Tactical officer responded simultaneously, "Aye, aye Captain."

The Lindbergh was being buffeted by the steady stream of weapons fire. The Brunali fleet was swarming around the two Starfleet ships and the larger number of Borg vessels like a swarm of angry bees.

* * *

As the ship was rocking, activity in the sickbay was increasing. Crew members who had been knocked about were arriving in the sickbay. Todd addressed the members of his staff whom were currently performing the Borg extraction procedures, "When you get to a point at which you can safely cease, please do so, I need all hands on deck." Dr. Franklin tapped his combadge, "All medical personnel not currently in sickbay, report to sickbay at once." He tapped his combadge again, closing the channel. He instantly tapped his combadge again, "Mr. Paris, this is Dr. Franklin, could you come to sickbay and give us a hand, please?"

Tom replied, "I'm on my way." Since he was so familiar with Voyager and the crew of Voyager, Todd knew Mr. Paris was a competent medic.

Naomi asked the CMO, "Should I get out of your way?"

Todd looked at Naomi as if he just remembered she was there, "How are your triage skills, Ensign Wildman?"

"Not bad, I can work a medical tricorder fairly proficiently."

"You're hired. Icheb, Seven, please assist wrapping up the Borg procedures. Naomi, as wounded come in, please scan them and, well you know what to do."

Naomi was impressed. She had never seen Todd Franklin in an emergency situation, and his demeanor now was completely different to his normal easy going attitude.

So far the injuries were minor, simple bumps and bruises. The communication system sounded, "Engineering to Sickbay, medical emergency. We've got a crew member with plasma burns."

Todd answered, "On our way, Sickbay out." Todd pointed to two of his staff, "Get to Engineering immediately." One of the medics grabbed a med kit while the other started pushing an anti-grav stretcher toward the door.

Several of the first casualties were already treated and being released. Naomi hoped the injuries would continue to be minor, but with the way the ship was shaking and lurching she didn't hold out any real hope. Just as she was thinking this, the two medics who were sent to Engineering moments earlier were returning with a patient on the anti-grav stretcher. They were pushing the sled directly to a biobed. This injury was clearly more serious than the others, so Naomi didn't even bother scanning the patient. When she looked at the patient as she was being pushed past her, Naomi was shocked to realize the newest casualty was her roommate Ensign Mary Melody.

* * *

The bridge of Voyager was thick with the acrid smoke of exploded panels and burning circuitry. Captain Chakotay barked at Ayala, "We can't take much more of this, find a way to disable their weapons, or start destroying them." Ayala just nodded in reply, too busy working the Tactical station to bother with speaking.

Voyager was in far worse shape than the other vessels. They were being attacked unrelentingly by ten of the smaller Brunali vessels which were concentrating solely on Voyager. They had Voyager surrounded and were firing continuously.

Chakotay was working the console next to his chair when he heard Ayala say, "Captain, look." Ayala sounded startled when Chakotay turned to look at his security chief, Ayala nodded toward the main viewscreen. Chakotay looked up at the viewscreen just in time to see one of the Borg spheres explode.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Star Trek Voyager, and the characters established on the show. The original characters are mine, as is the story, from which I make no money.

* * *

In the Lindbergh's sickbay it was organized chaos. Seven, Icheb and the medical staff had safely halted the Borg extraction procedures, freeing up more staff members to assist with the increasing casualties. Seven had joined Naomi in performing triage duties. Between the two of them, they assessed the injuries and decided who was in need of immediate aid, and who could wait. Naomi occasionally looked to the biobed on which her roommate Mary Melody still lay unconscious and was undergoing treatment by Doctor Franklin. She was sure Todd would be able to treat Mary successfully, or at least she hoped so. While her attention was thus diverted, the ship jolted sharply. Unprepared as she was, she lost her balance. Naomi's head hit the station which had been designated the command center for the Borg mission.

Seven shouted, "Naomi!" She immediately went to Naomi and began scanning her with a medical tricorder. Seven was concentrating so hard on the readings, she barely noticed when Icheb knelt down on the other side of Naomi.

"Seven, what happened? Is she okay?" Icheb's concern was palpable.

"She is unconscious, head trauma. She is stable enough to move to a biobed."

Without hesitation, Icheb picked Naomi up and took her to one of the empty biobeds. Once deposited there, Seven deployed the sensor cluster which covered Naomi. Tom Paris came over and told Seven as gently as possible, "Seven, I'll take care of Naomi, we really need you to resume triage duties."

Seven looked as if she might argue, but realized Tom was right. He was capable of taking care of Naomi, and triage really was a priority.

Tom looked at Icheb, "Seven could use some help Icheb."

When Icheb looked up at Tom, he was shocked to see the fear on Icheb's face. He checked the readings on the sensor equipment, "Icheb, she'll be fine. She was just knocked unconscious. There really isn't anything you can do now. I promise I'll alert you if there is a change." Tom could see Icheb was reluctant to leave. Before he went to assist Seven, he bent down and kissed Naomi lightly on the lips.

* * *

On the bridge of the Lindbergh all activity stopped for an instant while everyone on the bridge watched the Borg sphere explode. When Dax spoke, it broke the stunned atmosphere, "Voyager is really taking a pounding, let's see if we can help them out."

The officer at Tactical replied, "Aye sir," but his tone was not especially confident.

Janeway was watching Voyager with great interest. "Damn, I really wish those idiots at Temporal Investigations hadn't confiscated the Ablative Hull Armor. Voyager could really use it right now."

Dax agreed, "We could all use an advantage here. There are too many of them, and since we can't disable their weapons, we are all taking damage. It won't be long before our damage starts to be major."

"Tactical, why are those ships not under fire?"

"Captain, they are just too fast, by the time I get a weapons lock, they're gone."

"Well, then, just aim manually and fire, I don't want ours to be the only ships being damaged."

Janeway spoke to the Tactical officer, a Human man named Hugh Irving, "It's the bio-neural circuitry. It makes their response time much faster. Try and aim ahead of where they are. If you can anticipate them, you should be able to get some shots through."

"Aye, Admiral."

Dax turned to her science officer, "T'Phir, what made that Borg sphere explode? I didn't think they were under particularly heavy fire."

"No, ma'am, they weren't. I have been analyzing the sensor readings. It looks like the Brunali transported a device to the sphere a minute before it was destroyed. From the readings I have it was small, slightly less than a square meter. It wasn't transported near the propulsion systems, but into a section of the ship occupied with regeneration alcoves. It had a duranium shell and as far as I can tell from our readings, it was filled with bio-neural gel."

Dax asked the bridge at large, hoping to get some confirmation for her speculation, "What was it, a bio-weapon?"

Admiral Janeway answered first, "It would seem so. The Brunali are very adept with genetic technology. It would make sense for them to devise a weapon based on their genetic knowledge."

Dax and Janeway were stopped from further speculation by a shout from the Tactical station, "What the bloody hell?"

"Report Irving."

"Captain, after I finally started hitting their vessel they just pulled off some kind of bizarre evasive maneuver to avoid my next shots."

"Explain."

"Well, quite frankly, it looked for a moment like the vessel was being piloted by a two year old on raktajino."

Janeway said under her breath, "That's certainly descriptive."

Dax, however, wanted a better explanation, "What, exactly, does that mean?"

Rather than trying to describe the bizarre maneuver, Irving just said, "Watch, I'll try to get them to do it again." He then began firing at the same vessel. As he did, the image on the viewscreen showed a Brunali vessel moving in a manner Dax had never seen before. She also understood Irving's analogy a bit better. As she watched, the vessel began to roll continuously while still moving in a roughly linear fashion. Then to her consternation, the ship began to spin in the opposite direction. Just watching the ship move in these erratic and jerky movements made Dax' stomach begin to lurch. She took a deep calming breath, now was not a convenient time to succumb to space sickness.

As Voyager and the Borg ships began to have more success scoring hits on the Brunali fleet, more of their vessels began to move in this unusual and difficult to predict fashion.

Dax had to avert her eyes from the viewscreen. "T'Phir, are you monitoring the Brunali vessels to detect when they try transporting any more of those devices to Borg vessels?"

"Aye, and I have relayed my sensor readings to all the Borg vessels and they have begun to rotate their shield frequencies accordingly." After answering the Captain, her attention returned to her console, on which she saw something requiring immediate action, "Helm, I'm reading an energy buildup in your console!" The helmsman leapt from her chair seconds before the helm station erupted. T'Phir addressed the helmsman, "I've routed helm functions to the auxiliary science console."

The helmsman nodded her acknowledgment, then made her way to this console, and resumed piloting the ship.

Dax addressed her Tactical officer once again, "That's it, I've had enough of this. I want you to start blanketing the area with continuous phaser fire and multiple quantum torpedoes, maybe we can take out some of their ships. Belay that, they're distracting us. We need to get back so we can assist Voyager and the Borg ships." Dax didn't normally contradict herself openly on the bridge, but she was still feeling slightly queasy and it was affecting her more than she cared to admit.

Irving reported, "Captain, Voyager is dead in space. Warp and Impulse engines are offline. Their shields are at 45 percent, and weapons are failing."

"Helm, move us in closer; Tactical, see if you can draw some of their attackers away; T'Phir, see if the Borg can give us some help."

As the Lindbergh moved closer to Voyager, one of the Borg ships flanked Voyager on the other side. Between the two vessels, they were able to deflect some of the weapons fire from the Brunali ship. The Lindbergh was being hit more frequently and with more intensity than they had been to this point. Systems were going out all over the ship. They just couldn't effectively counter the greater numbers and superior maneuverability of the Brunali ships.

T'Phir drew Dax' attention, "Captain…"

Ezri could tell by the tone of the normally stoic Vulcan's voice, whatever she was going to say, wasn't going to be good. "Yes?"

"Captain, there is a transwarp conduit opening up, and there is something coming out of it."


	20. Chapter 20

Guess what? I still don't own Star Trek Voyager or the characters established therein. The original characters and story are mine. I am making no money from this, it's just for fun!

Author's note: Sorry for the delay in posting, we had a bit of a veterinary emergency around here.

* * *

"T'Phir, that's a bit vague. What exactly is coming out of the transwarp conduit?"

"Two small vessels, one is Brunali and the other I've never seen before."

Admiral Janeway cut across this conversation, "On screen."

The viewscreen immediately showed another of the small Brunali vessels accompanied by a vessel which Admiral Janeway was thrilled to see. "Open hailing frequencies please." When she heard the distinctive sound which signaled her order had been carried out, she spoke, "Janeway to…"

Before she could finish her sentence, the viewscreen changed to show a man with mottled skin and a Mohawk-like tuft of hair. "Admiral, how are you?"

"I'm glad to see you Ambassador. I wasn't sure if you would make it."

"We're here, and we have it."

"By all means, proceed." The viewscreen changed to show the battle which was continuing in space around them, indicating Neelix had closed the channel.  
Dax spoke, "Admiral, may I ask what is going on?"

"Certainly, I didn't want to mention this in case they didn't make it. When I departed to come here, it was still up in the air if Ambassador Neelix would have a solution to one of the issues which we are facing. It seems he has."

"So, the man to whom you were just speaking is the famous Neelix?" When the Admiral nodded confirmation, Captain Dax continued, "Then, why is he accompanied by a Brunali ship?"

"That is a bit more complicated. If they are successful, there will be time to explain later." The Admiral turned to the science officer, "Lieutenant T'Phir, status report please."

"The new ships are targeting the lead Brunali ship. Rather than directed energy weapons, they are bombarding the ship with what appears to be a combination of Delta radiation and…" at this she hesitated, unsure of what the sensors were telling her, "well, bacteria."

"Bacteria?" Janeway and Dax asked simultaneously.

"Yes, specifically Bacillus Thuringiensis."

Hugh Irving, the tactical officer on duty, drew their attention, "Captain, the weapons on the lead ship are down! The Ambassador's ship and its fellow are moving away, targeting the smaller ships with their miracle cure."

Dax didn't hesitate, "By all means, Mr. Irving, fire! Comm, let's coordinate our efforts with the other ships. I want to take advantage of this turn of events in the most effective way possible."

"Aye sir."

* * *

Icheb and Seven were continuing their triage duties at the entrance to sickbay. The ship was no longer under fire, but they didn't know why. They were just glad the steady stream of patients had begun to diminish. Icheb spoke to Seven, his voice barely above a whisper, "I wish I knew what's going on. I feel extremely discomfited not being on the bridge in a situation like this."

"I know, but you do understand why you shouldn't be on the bridge right now, don't you?"

"Of course I understand, but that doesn't make this any easier." At this, he looked over to the biobed on which Naomi was currently being treated by Tom Paris. "She'll be fine, won't she?"

"Of course she will, Icheb. Tom will take good care of her. Try not to worry." With this Seven placed a reassuring hand on Icheb's shoulder. There were no longer any patients coming into the sickbay. Seven and Icheb moved over to Tom and Naomi and Seven asked him, "How is she?"

Tom looked up, "She is in a medically induced coma until we can treat her. Right now, the doctor is concentrating on the injuries which can be treated quickly. Naomi is going to require surgery and Todd wants to do the surgery when he can devote all his time to it."

Icheb was obviously scared, "Tom, you said she would be fine. What happened?"

"Icheb, she will be fine. She has a subdural hematoma, the doctor will be able to fix her right up."

From across the sickbay, the Lindbergh's CMO Todd Franklin, called to them, "Icheb, Seven, would you please scan that group of patients and confirm they are ready to be released, thank you." Todd waved his arm in the general direction of a group of about ten crewmembers who all appeared ready to go.

They walked over and began scanning them but Icheb soon asked for Seven's assistance, "Seven, according to my tricorder, this man should be dying." He didn't notice the patient's panic stricken face at his pronouncement.

Seven walked over to Icheb and took his tricorder from him, "Well, this individual is a Betazoid, not a Benzite. Clearly, you are unable to focus right now."

Apparently Dr. Franklin was listening. He called from across the sickbay, "Icheb, I have a status report which needs to be delivered to the bridge. Would you please take it for me? Then come right back here."

Icheb took the PADD from a medical technician, and immediately left sickbay, but not before looking over to Naomi's biobed.

When he exited the turbolift onto the bridge, Icheb went directly to the Captain who looked at him and asked, "Icheb?"

"I have a casualty report for you. Although there were numerous injuries, they were mostly minor. There were only two serious injuries; Ensign Melody has been treated for plasma burns and Ensign Wildman has sustained a serious head injury."

Admiral Janeway was out of her seat at once, "Naomi? Icheb you're with me." She ushered Icheb back into the turbolift so quickly, he barely had time to deliver the PADD to Captain Dax.

In the turbolift, Janeway asked after Naomi, "How is she? What is her prognosis?" She noticed Icheb was very pale and worried, she attributed this to the shock of his mother's sudden appearance combined with his good friend Naomi's injury.

"She is…she is in a coma, they put her into a coma until they could perform surgery on her. She looks so still and pale. Tom says she'll be fine."

"Icheb, are you okay? I know this entire situation is distressing, but we are beginning to have some success taking out the weapons of the ships in your mother's fleet."

Icheb looked confused, "My mother… oh, right, good, I'm glad."

Janeway asked, "Icheb, what's wrong? If your aren't upset about your…"

Before she could finish, he broke down, "Naomi, I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't get better. We just found each other and I can't imagine my life without her."

"Halt turbolift." Janeway turned to face Icheb and put her hands on his shoulders. "Icheb, are you and Naomi in a romantic relationship?"

Icheb looked at her, "I thought you knew. Everyone knows."

"I got to work as soon as I got here. I haven't had time to catch up on the latest gossip yet." She drew him into a comforting hug, "If Tom says she'll be fine, she will." She held him for a few moments. She could tell he was in dire need of some reassurance.

Icheb pulled away from her, "Thank you Admiral. I needed that."

With the simple command, "Resume turbolift," the turbolift carried them towards sickbay. She kept one of her hands on Icheb's shoulder and he was grateful for the support.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and her characters. The original characters and story are mine.

Author's Note: It's a short chapter this week. Next week's will be much longer!

* * *

There were far fewer people in Sickbay when Icheb returned, accompanied by Kathryn Janeway. Only a few biobeds were occupied. The Admiral followed Icheb over to a biobed around which Tom Paris and Seven were already standing. She spoke first to Seven, "It's good to see you Seven."

"Likewise Admiral, I take it we are faring better since we are no longer under fire?"

"Yes, we are. Tom, how is Ensign Wildman?"

Before Tom could answer they were distracted by a nearby voice, "I have not cleared you yet. Where are you going Mary?" Janeway realized the small human man who was speaking must be the Lindbergh's CMO.

"Todd, I want to see Naomi. I'm not going to leave Sickbay."

"Oh, alright," the two Lindbergh crew members made their way over to Naomi's biobed, the Doctor assisting the petite woman as she walked.

The man spoke to Janeway, "Admiral Janeway, I'm Todd Franklin, Lindbergh's CMO."

She shook his hand, "Doctor, I was just asking Tom for an assessment of Ensign Wildman's condition."

"Of course, she is in a medically induced coma. I was about to prep her for surgery. It is a simple procedure and she should make a complete recovery." The last part of his sentence was directed at Icheb rather than Janeway. He was obviously trying to reassure his friend.

While they had been speaking, Mary moved to Icheb's side. "See, Commander, the Doctor says she'll be fine. No need to worry."

"Now, if you will all vacate the area, I could begin her treatment."

To Admiral Janeway's surprise, it was the injured woman who steered the little group away, "Icheb, could you help me back to my bed?"

He obliged immediately and the rest followed them. "Admiral Janeway, may I introduce Ensign Mary Melody, she's an Engineer and Naomi's roommate?"

"Ensign, it's very nice to meet you. How do you like having Naomi Wildman for a roommate?"

"Well, it isn't boring. May I ask you a question Admiral?"

"Go ahead Ensign."

"Well, you see, I'm curious. Why do all the people from Voyager call her Naomi Wildman? Instead of just Naomi? Or Wildman?"

Kathyrn had been expecting a question about their current situation, and the completely unexpected question made her smile. "I'm not really sure, we just always have done."

Seven changed the subject, "Admiral, what is our current situation? How did it come about that we are no longer under fire?"

The attention of everyone was on her, they all wanted to know. "I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched, but we have been joined by a group of people who have been working to counter the Brunali technology. They were aware of the Brunali's plans and wanted to thwart them if possible. I knew they might be joining us, but didn't mention it in case their efforts failed."

"Who are these people? How did they hear of the Bruanli's plans?" Icheb asked her. The discussion seemed to distract him from Naomi and her medical situation.

"It's a small group; Neelix, a few of his Talaxian friends, and," it was obvious Janeway was unsure if she should continue, "well, Leucon."

Icheb's jaw dropped, "My father?"


	22. Chapter 22

CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. Original characters and the story are mine.

* * *

"Sorry Admiral, but that is the last coincidence straw which broke this camel's back." Mary realized too late she was being wildly insubordinate. 

This was reinforced by Icheb practically shouting at her, "Ensign Melody!"

She looked properly abashed when she said to Admiral Janeway, "I'm sorry, it must be the pain from my injuries. I seem to have lost my mind."

Janeway's smile was reassuring, "Believe it or not Ensign, I understand. From your perspective, I can see how this situation would be one improbable coincidence compounded by another. First the Borg call for help, then Voyager arrives, then Icheb's mother shows up from the Delta Quadrant with a fleet bent on destroying the Borg, then I show up, now Neelix arrives, also from the Delta Quadrant, accompanied by Icheb's father. Your attitude is most understandable. I generally wouldn't feel compelled to explain this situation to an Ensign, and I'm not going to fully explain now, for it isn't my story to tell.

"Suffice it to say, we, meaning Starfleet, have been aware of the threat posed by the Brunali for some time. It was just happenstance that the Unimatrix Zero Borg precipitated their arrival here in the Alpha Quadrant before we were prepared to deal with the Brunali threat. It was also simply a matter of proximity which necessitated the Lindbergh's involvement.

"Are you aware, Ensign Melody, that Starfleet has been looking to the Delta Quadrant to explain reports of ships which were reported missing either prior to or around the same time Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker?" As this was clearly a rhetorical question, Mary didn't answer. "Although they have been investigating the possibility of other ships being lost in the Delta Quadrant, Voyager and the Equinox remain the only two ships confirmed to have been there. Throughout this undertaking, Starfleet has looked to Ambassador Neelix to assist in their efforts. To that end, he has done what he does best, keep apprised of the, shall we say, gossip in the Delta Quadrant. Since he has used various acquaintances and intelligence gathering methods, he has become quite well known throughout the quadrant. In the course of his intelligence gathering, it came to his attention that the Brunali were amassing vessels and technology in an attempt to ostensibly destroy the Borg, and there is no doubt the Borg were definitely one of their targets. It also came to his attention another of their targets was Voyager as well as the Voyager crew."

Admiral Janeway registered the shocked look on the faces around her, but she continued. "That particular aspect of this saga is Neelix' story and I will leave it to him to tell. When it came to my attention Voyager had been dispatched in response to the Unimatrix Zero Borg situation, I knew Yifay would use this opportunity to confront her two foes. The situation would be too tempting for her to ignore. I then communicated with Neelix, who informed me they were close to a solution. He also was not sure if they would be able to make use of the Borg's transwarp conduit. They might encounter too much resistance, pardon the pun, so for those reasons, I didn't disclose Neelix' possible involvement or arrival."

Icheb was the first to speak, "Cap..Admiral, when Yifay first arrived, she warned both us and Voyager to distance ourselves from the Borg. She said she had no quarrel with us. If Voyager was also a target, why would she do this?"

"I can only speculate but my supposition is she was trying to catch Voyager with her guard down. Also, your presence here, Icheb, probably caught her off guard."

Icheb replied, "You're probably right, her being here certainly shocked me. Literally," he added with a small smile.

"Bridge to Admiral Janeway."

Janeway tapped her combadge, "Janeway here."

"Admiral, we are receiving a communication from Mr. Neelix for you."

Janeway looked over at the Lindbergh's CMO who was still treating Naomi. The activity which was centered around Ensign Melody's biobed didn't' seem to be disturbing him. She didn't want her activities to hinder his efforts to treat Naomi, but it seemed he was oblivious to everything but his patient. "Please route it to Sickbay."

"Aye sir." Admiral Janeway rolled her eyes slightly. This standard Starfleet form of address was something she had to get used to all over again when they returned to the Alpha Quadrant. Members of the Voyager crew were well used to addressing her as Captain rather than sir, but the rest of Starfleet was not.

She walked over to the console and touched the control which would enable communication. Neelix' smiling face greeted her, "Admiral, the Brunali fleet's retreating after suffering serious damage. In my opinion we needn't hurry after them. We know where they are going, and it looks like we might be able to lend a hand here."

"I agree, you should stay in the general area, as should Leucon. I need you to prepare a briefing for myself, Captain's Chakotay and Dax, and the Borg leaders. How long will you need to prepare?"

"Not more than an hour or so."

* * *

Two hours later, the Mess Hall on the Lindbergh was full of people milling around and chatting. It looked more like a party than a prelude to a mission report briefing. The Lindbergh's briefing room was too small for the number of people who would be attending. Also, everyone needed a break after the battle and the repair work which immediately followed. This more informal combination of meeting and meal was decided to be the best solution. Most of the participants were present, they were only waiting on the Voyager's EMH who was scheduled to arrive momentarily. 

As soon as the Doctor entered, he spoke to Admiral Janeway, "Admiral, sorry for the delay. A doctor's work is never done."

"It's quite alright Doc." She spoke loudly so everyone could hear, "Shall we begin?"

Everyone made their way to the group of tables in the middle of the Mess Hall. Admiral Janeway stood at the head of the table until everyone got situated. Finally they were all seated, quiet, and looking to the Admiral to begin the meeting.

"Let's begin by introducing ourselves. I know most of you are acquainted, but I just want to make sure. I'll begin, Admiral Janeway, Starfleet Command." With this she sat down and spoke to the man on her immediate left, "Captain?"

"Captain Chakotay, of the USS Voyager."

The introductions then continued around the table. The Voyager contingent consisted of; Chakotay, Seven of Nine, Harry Kim, the EMH, Ayala and Vorik. The Lindbergh group was comprised of; Dax, Icheb, Doctor Franklin, Threm, the Chief Engineer, and T'Phir the Science Officer. From the Borg ships; Korok was once again accompanied by his four most trusted aides; the Bajoran, the Andorian, the Hirogen and the Brunali. Neelix and Leucon were the last to introduce themselves. Leucon was sitting at the opposite end of the table from his son. Oddly, it wasn't his son who drew Leucon's attention, it was Korok's Brunali aide, Yivcon.

Admiral Janeway spoke to Neelix, "Ambassador, the room is yours."

Neelix stood and, in his typical ebullient fashion began, "You see, it started with the PADDs."

Janeway asked the obvious question, "What PADD's?"

"Oh, of course, sorry, I got ahead of myself. The PADDs Voyager left with Icheb on the Brunali home world."


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Voyager, just the original characters and story.

* * *

Neelix realized not everyone in the room was intimately familiar with Voyager's history. "When the crew of Voyager returned Icheb to his family, they wanted him to be able to continue the studies which he began on the ship. To that end, they sent several PADDs with him which contained a vast amount of information on a wide variety of subjects. When Icheb departed the Brunali home world, the PADDs were left behind. Yifay, Icheb's mother, began to study the information, hoping to find something which would help her people destroy the Borg.

"Prior to this, while Voyager was orbiting the Brunali home world, Icheb's parents had been invited to stay aboard Voyager in order to smooth Icheb's transition from life on Voyager to reintegrating into his home community. During their stay, Yifay, um, appropriated certain files from Voyager's databanks, specifically Voyager's diagrams and specifications. She shared all this with her people. Using their genetic ingenuity combined with all this information, they began to develop and build ships and weapons which they hoped would aid them in destroying the Borg. Yifay and her people were dedicated to this goal. That is, most of them were. Leucon, would you like to continue?"

"Thank you Neelix." Leucon stood, but was very self conscious. He knew the room was filled with people who had good reason to hate him. "After Yifay and I sent Icheb away for the second time, I realized we were sacrificing too much in our vendetta against the Borg. When we genetically engineered our son to infect the collective, I truly believed in what we were doing. When Icheb was returned to us, I didn't want to send him to be assimilated by the Borg again. Yifay insisted, and I went along with the plan, even though I didn't agree." Here he looked pleadingly to his son, but Icheb was ignoring him. Leucon wasn't surprised by this, he expected as much. "My wife is a very stubborn and determined woman, and it was easier for me to yield to her. When Voyager rescued Icheb for the second time, I was elated, but I didn't show it. I couldn't, my people wouldn't understand, especially Yifay.

"She was no longer obsessed with just the Borg, she wanted to destroy Voyager as well. She felt Voyager had thwarted our great work by rescuing Icheb. Perhaps it would help you to understand her better if I explained something, she never considered Icheb as our son, he was only ever a weapon to her.

"While our people began their efforts, planning and building the fleet and weapons, I was involved in the endeavor. I felt it would be best if I knew exactly what my people were doing, if I stood a chance of stopping them. It was obvious I was going to need help, so I began to ask very subtle questions of people, trying to see if I was the only one who felt as I did. It soon became obvious, I was alone. Even others who had sacrificed their children attempting to bring down the Borg were supportive of the plan to annihilate the Borg and Voyager.

"I began to talk with the aliens from whom we were purchasing supplies to find out if what my people were doing was well known off world. If not, I was hoping the people I spoke to would spread the word. I was looking for support, but it was hard to come by. As you can imagine, the Borg don't elicit a great deal of sympathy. Unfortunately, Voyager's reputation in the Delta Quadrant wasn't much better. Very few people seemed willing to exert any effort in defense of the Borg or Voyager. When speaking to one of our alien suppliers, I learned Neelix had left Voyager to stay in the Delta Quadrant. Remembering how helpful he had been, I was hopeful he might help me, but didn't know what to do next.

"In the interim, my questions and conversations with other Brunali as well as the aliens, had aroused suspicion. Yifay began to question my resolve and other people weren't as friendly as they had been. I realized I needed to get away. In the middle of the night, I retrieved a bag which I had previously hidden. In it I had placed everything I thought could be of assistance to me. I had downloaded all the information from the Voyager PADDs as well as the diagrams and specifications for our fleet. Luckily, my people weren't expecting one of their own to steal one of the new ships, so security was minimal.

"My getaway was somewhat premature, but necessary due to the suspicion I had aroused. As such, I hadn't reviewed all of the data I copied from Yifay's computer. Once I was far enough away to feel safe, I landed on an uninhabited moon to consider what my next step would be and how I would find Mr. Neelix. While going over the information from Yifay's database, I found a file labeled Voyager which contained communication logs, star charts and other files indicating she had tracked Voyager's progress. There was also a file called Neelix, in which I discovered some communication logs indicating she was in communication with an individual named Nocona, who had tried to mine the asteroid on which the Talaxian colony was located. The logs indicated Yifay was planning to, in her words, 'take care of his (Nocona's) Talaxian problem.' She intended to destroy not only Mr. Neelix, but the entire colony in which he settled. To me, this was further proof I was doing the right thing. Once I determined approximately where Mr. Neelix' colony was, I set a course.

"It took several months to reach the Talaxian's colony, but when I did Neelix told me he had heard of my people's plan to pursue vengeance against the Borg and Voyager. Mr. Neelix' people were initially reluctant to assist me. However, once I showed their leaders the information I'd found on Yifay's computer, they had a change of heart. Neelix and I were working together, and we were discussing the difficulty of counteracting the auto regenerative aspect of our weapon's power source when Mr. Neelix said something about it seemed familiar. Mr. Neelix?"

"Yes, thank you Leucon. Admiral, do you remember the events leading up to the Voyager crew establishing the Ancestor's Eve holiday?"

"Of course."

"Let me explain further, Mr. Paris and I had been exchanging bits of historical trivia about our respective home worlds. So, I was doing some research into Earth's history trying to stump Mr. Paris with a nugget of historical interest about his own home world. My research included the history of Earth's space exploration.

"That being said, I'll return to the subject at hand. Leucon's people had based the power source for their weapons on something which they found in Earth's past. Yifay had found an instance in the historical database of an auto regenerative power source in a weapon utilized by one of Earth's earliest galactic enemies, the Xindi. Since Leucon hadn't read all the information from the PADDs, he didn't know where to look for the information. However, when he described it to me, it jogged my memory. I remembered reading about the Xindi incident and that one of the Xindi species had something which resembled a worm powering their weapons.

"We then began coming up with a counter measure. We found the scans and such from when Humans first encountered this Xindi biotechnology. They discovered Delta radiation was effective against the, well, worm for lack of a better word. Leucon's genetic knowledge was invaluable. He began researching what else we could use against the worm power. He decided bacteria would probably be the most effective against the biological component. The bacteria would also work against the bio-neural circuitry. We were confident the combination of radiation and bacteria would be highly efficacious.

"While we were working out a large scale delivery system for our counter measure, Admiral Janeway reached us, and told us about the situation here. We promised her we would accelerate our efforts, which we did. We also had to determine how we were going to get here. Leucon had with him a map Yifay had made of some of the Borg transwarp conduits in the Delta Quadrant. She had intended to use them against the Borg and Voyager, as well as my own colony. It was a very handy piece of information, without it, we would never have made it here in time. We just had to make sure the conduits were devoid of Borg activity before we used them.

"You know the rest, we made it here, and our counter measure was effective."

Janeway took command of the meeting, "I think that should be sufficient for now. We're all tired and could use some rest. Captains Dax and Chakotay and General Korok, do you have any objection to concluding the briefing for the day? We could reconvene tomorrow after we've all rested and get more specific answers then."

Dax, Chakotay and Korok had no objections and the briefing was concluded. The moment it was decided the meeting was over, Icheb shot up out of his chair and exited the Mess Hall without a backward glance. No one went after him, they all seemed to understand he needed to be alone.

He made his was directly to Sickbay. The lighting in the room was low to reflect the lateness of the hour. Upon entering Sickbay, Icheb was greeted by a beautiful sight. Naomi was awake and reading. He rushed over to her, sat on the edge of her bed and enveloped her in his arms.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns it, I'm just playing in their universe.

Author's note: Just a short fluffy chapter this week.

* * *

Naomi spoke into Icheb's shoulder, "What's wrong? Icheb, I'm fine really. It's okay." She didn't understand why Icheb was so upset, but clearly, he was. His hold on her was very tight, but not uncomfortably so. She tried to pull away from Icheb in order to speak to him face to face, but he didn't allow it. His arms held on to her. His silence was beginning to concern her, "Icheb, sweetheart, let me look at you, you're scaring me."

Finally Icheb pulled away from her but did not entirely release her, and she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. "What's happened? This isn't because you're worried about me, is it?"

His voice was very soft, almost inaudible, "No, it's just, the briefing, it was too much."

She extracted her hand and cupped his chin in it, "I don't know what you're talking about. Sorry, but it seems I have been rather unconscious." She smiled at him, hoping her jest would cheer him slightly.

Icheb looked at Naomi, scrutinizing her face, "I'm sorry, you know I'm thrilled you are feeling better, don't you? I was so scared when you were lying here earlier. You were so still."

"I'm fine now, really. I should be able to leave Sickbay tomorrow. Mary's already been released." Naomi wanted to know what had upset Icheb so, but the change in subject seemed to relax him, so she didn't ask about whatever happened at the briefing. She looked him in the eye, "You know something, I love you, did you know that?"

Icheb's face relaxed enough to permit a genuine smile, "I had heard a rumor. But you know how gossip is."

"I think you should definitely believe this rumor." She put her arms around his neck, pulled his face towards hers and kissed him. She could feel the tension leave his body as they kissed.

When they separated, Icheb lowered his mouth to Naomi's ear, "I love you so much Naomi Wildman."

He abruptly looked around Sickbay, just then realizing they were acting in flagrant disregard of the Captain's guidelines for their behavior. He was fairly sure kissing in Sickbay would be seen as a public display of affection.

Naomi realized what he was doing and wanted to reassure him, "The doctor on duty is in Todd's office, there aren't any Borg procedures going on right now, and I'm the only patient in here. We are quite alone."

Icheb was reassured. "Do you have any idea how important you are to me? Other than the crew of Voyager, you're the only family I have. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to take you away from me. When you were unconscious earlier, I realized how very much I love you, much more than I realized. Seeing you on the floor not moving and not responding to Seven, I was momentarily paralyzed. I couldn't breathe and it seemed as if my heart ceased beating. When Seven said it was safe to move you, the spell was broken. I knew you were still alive and the relief was as overwhelming as the fear had been."

Naomi drew Icheb toward her, "Oh, I'm so sorry you had to go through that." She then pulled back slightly so she could see his eyes, "Icheb, if I have anything to say about it, nothing will take me away from you. I love you, and I think I always have." She once again pulled him toward her and kissed him. They were unconcerned about their breach of the Captain's protocols. It was as if they were the only two people in the universe.

They parted only because they heard the Sickbay doors opening. Naomi looked up to see who the newcomer was and squealed, "Neelix!!!"

Icheb turned to face the new arrival. Before either of them could say anything else, Neelix was at Naomi's bedside, "Pardon me for interrupting whatever it was I just interrupted, but Icheb could you please unhand my Goddaughter so I can give her a hug?"

Icheb stood up and moved out of Neelix' way, "Oh, right, sorry."


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a bit tardy this week. I single handedly crashed TWO computers this week!

* * *

When Neelix stopped hugging Naomi, he looked to Icheb, "Now, what exactly did I just interrupt?"

Icheb pursed his lips, trying to decide how best to answer the question, "Well, you see, we were, um, well…"

"Never mind, it was obvious what you were doing. When did this happen? How serious is this? What are your intentions toward my Goddaughter?"

Naomi hoped to deter Neelix' interrogation of Icheb by embarking on one of her own, "I'm glad to see you, but, what are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

"Nice try Naomi, but I want the answers to my questions first."

"No, Neelix, I'm the patient here and I had no idea you were in the Alpha Quadrant, much less on my ship. I want to know what's going on. You can interrogate us later."

Neelix looked down at his Goddaughter, "Of course, sorry. I heard about the Brunali vendetta against Voyager…"

"Stop, wait, what vendetta against Voyager? I thought they were after the Borg."

"Well they were, but one of their targets was definitely Voyager and its crew. I think that's why Yifay agreed so quickly to wait until Admiral Janeway arrived. She never had any intention of negotiating, she just wanted Janeway to be here so she could exact her vengeance on the woman who thwarted one of her earlier attempts to destroy the Borg. As I was saying, I learned of her intention to destroy Voyager, but I couldn't really do anything about it. Luckily Leucon found me and we began working on countermeasures for their biotechnology."

"Wait, did you say Leucon? Icheb's father is with you?"

With a nervous glance in Icheb's direction, Neelix answered, "Yes, he is. He left the Brunali home world when he realized he wife was…um…"

Icheb completed the sentence for him, "insane."

"Well, yes, he believed she had gone too far. Anyway, we worked on a way to defeat the Brunali biotechnology. He had downloaded all the information he could about their research and development. They used information they found in the Starfleet database as well as their genetic engineering prowess to devise formidable weapons.

"As you know, I have been in contact with Starfleet and Admiral Janeway as part of my 'Ambassadorial' duties. She contacted me and told us of the situation here, we stepped up our efforts and completed our work.

"The tricky part was, how were we going to get here? And could we get here in time? Leucon provided the answers to those questions as well. He had a map of the Borg transwarp conduits Yifay had compiled. So, here we are. We just finished our initial briefing, we'll have a more in depth briefing tomorrow."

Naomi reached out and grabbed Icheb's hand, "Was Leucon at the briefing?"

Neelix had narrowed his eyes at the sight of their clasped hands, "Yes, of course he was."

Naomi pulled Icheb toward her, he had no other option, he sat beside her on the bed, "Oh Icheb, no wonder you were so upset."

"Icheb, I know you're angry with your parents, deservedly so, but I have spent so much time with Leucon, I can assure you, he truly regrets what he and Yifay did to you. He would like to reconcile with you, if possible. I'm not trying to tell you what to do. He is your father and you must make your own decision, I just thought I would let you know, he would like for the two of you to at least talk."

"Neelix, I'm sorry, but, I don't think I can forgive him."

"That's certainly understandable."

An Andorian woman came out of the office and approached them, "My patient needs rest, you will both have to leave now." She stood next to Naomi's bed with a hypospray, it was clear she wasn't going to move until Neelix and Icheb left her patient alone.

Icheb hugged Naomi and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest."

Neelix moved in and hugged Naomi and kissed her on the cheek as well, "I'm very happy to see you, goodnight."

The two men left the Sickbay and Icheb asked Neelix if he would like a cup of coffee or tea. Neelix thought a soothing beverage would be nice, so the two men made their way to the Mess Hall. After getting their beverages, they sat down in the mostly empty Mess Hall.

"Now, what is going on between you and Naomi, and I really do want to know what your intentions are in regards to my Goddaughter."

"We're in love, obviously. Our relationship is still fairly new, but it is serious. It's way too soon to be considering marriage, but I could definitely see it in our future. Do you have any other questions?"

"No, no more questions about your relationship with Naomi. Now, about your father…"

"Neelix, I'm not sure what I want to do, if anything, about him. He and Yifay used me as a tool to wreak havoc on the Borg. They were my parents, and they were willing to throw my life away, not once, but twice. Would you be able to forgive them if you were in my place?"

Admiral Janeway entered the Mess Hall, went to the replicators and ordered a cup of coffee and a bowl of steamed Chadre Kab. She headed for Neelix and Icheb's table, "May I join you?"

Neelix smiled at her, "Of course, what are you eating Admiral? It looks like Chadre Kab."

"It is, Icheb here has programmed several of your more popular dishes into the Lindbergh's replicator system. They are very popular with the Voyager crew."

Neelix was smiling, it was clear he was filled with pride, "Really, they like my dishes? I never got the impression anyone on Voyager was thrilled with my cooking."

"Neelix, it just proves the old saying, 'You never know what you have until it's gone.' Believe me, when you left Voyager, you left a hole in our hearts, as well as our stomachs. Don't get me wrong, we all understood why you chose to stay with Dexa, Brax and the other Talaxians, but you were missed.

"Icheb, how is Naomi Wildman?"

"She is doing well, she should be released from Sick Bay tomorrow. Neelix and I were ushered out by the doctor on duty. She seemed to think we were keeping Naomi from getting any proper rest."

"Admiral, did you know about this relationship between Icheb and Naomi? I didn't find out about it until I walked into Sick Bay and discovered them kissing! It was most disturbing."

"I can imagine. Icheb, aren't you and Ensign Wildman under orders to show some discretion? It seems to me, kissing in Sick Bay isn't exactly discreet."

Icheb was embarrassed, "No, it wasn't, but we were alone. It is really quite disconcerting to have one's love life be the subject of this much discussion."

Kathryn and Neelix both smiled. "Icheb, just think of it this way, people are discussing it because we care about you. You and Naomi are important to us."

Two men entered the Mess Hall, one went to the bank of replicators and ordered some beverages, the other made a bee line for the table. "May we join you?"

Icheb stood up, then pulled a chair up from another table. By this time the Bolian man had arrived with two steaming mugs. They were seated, and Icheb made the introductions, "I know you were all at the briefing, but I want to be sure you're all acquainted. Admiral Janeway, Ambassador Neelix, this is Dr. Todd Franklin, Lindbergh's CMO and his partner Threm, Lindbergh's Chief Engineer." Icheb knew it wasn't necessary to announce the couple's romantic status, but he was tired of being the only object of romantic gossip.

Todd was shaking Neelix' hand rather enthusiastically, "Ambassador Neelix, it's an honor to see you again in this informal setting. I've been an aficionado of Voyager culture for decades, and the recent arrival of the Voyager and its crew has been an absolute delight to me. I don't know if you know this, but you have been a topic of discussion on the Lindbergh lately. Many of the Voyager crewmembers have come over to our Mess Hall solely for the purpose of sampling dishes which you prepared while Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant. I think it would save wear and tear on the transporters if Icheb would just give Voyager the replicator patterns, but that's just my opinion.

"Will you be doing any culinary creating while you're here? I would really enjoy sampling some dishes prepared by the famous Ambassador Neelix."

Threm chuckled, "Liar."


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine, from which I make no money.

Author's Note: I am going to be starting NaNoWriMo in November. I intend to wrap up this story in the next few days. I have a subsequent story already planned, but I won't begin until after November.

* * *

"How dare you call me a liar!" It wasn't a question, more an indignant outburst.

"Easily, you have repeatedly called Ambassador Neelix' recipes 'bizarre cuisine'. Further, you have done so in the company of several people. As such, it is obvious you have no desire to sample his cooking."

Icheb agreed, "It's true Todd, you have, I've heard you do so on many, many, many occasions."

"Well, that's a gross exaggeration. Oh, alright, fine, I admit it. However, I would like to compare the genuine article against your facsimiles."

It was Icheb's turn to be indignant, "I assure, they are very faithful to the originals."

Admiral Janeway chimed in, "I'm going to have to agree with Icheb. My Chadre Kab was delicious." She had taken advantage of the distraction the slight domestic squabble had provided, her plate was empty.

Tom Paris strode through the Mess Hall doors, "Neelix! There you are, it's good to see you! I thought you would be visiting Naomi Wildman in Sick Bay." Tom sat down while he was talking, "I just got unceremoniously tossed out of Sick Bay. The doctor on duty didn't seem to think it was an appropriate time of day to be visiting her patient."

"Don't worry Tom, we were thrown out as well. Was my Goddaughter asleep when you were there?"

"She seemed to be, but I didn't make it to her bedside. I was headed off before I could get there."

Due to the lateness of the hour, the little group soon broke up in order to get some rest before tomorrow's early briefing.

* * *

The briefing the next day was extremely long. It took hours and hours to go over the minutiae of Neelix and Leucon's information; their scientific methods as well as what Leucon knew of the Brunali effort to destroy Voyager and the Borg were discussed and dissected.

When finally the briefing was dismissed, Icheb was afraid his father would approach him, so once again, he left immediately. Neelix had obviously told Leucon of Icheb's reluctance to speak to him, for Leucon didn't try to follow Icheb.

Instead, Leucon made his way over to General Korok's Brunali aide, Yivcon. "Yiv, it really is you isn't it?"

"That is self evident. I'm glad you finally saw the light about our people's policy toward the Borg, but you don't truly expect Icheb to forgive you, do you?"

"Not really, but one can hope. Yiv, what happened to your daughter?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember, drones were dragging her away from me. She was screaming, but then my assimilation began and I have no more memories until I was activated. I never saw her again. I assume she was placed in a maturation chamber. I also think we were placed on separate vessels. The vessel on which I was activated was never affected by the disabling virus."

"You may not know this, but the determination you exhibited when it was time for your daughter to be assimilated was what made me truly question our plan."

Neelix had come to stand next to Leucon, "Do you know each other, from before this situation, I mean?"

"Yes, Yiv's family and mine were close friends. We grew up together, got married about the same time, had our children about the same time. His daughter was engineered to transmit the virus, just as Icheb had been. When it was time for his daughter to be assimilated, he insisted on accompanying her."

"I had to, I couldn't expect her to go through the trauma of assimilation alone. Unfortunately that is exactly what happened. We were separated before being assimilated. I never saw her again."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Yivcon. It was a very brave thing to do. I'm sure she appreciated it."

"Mr. Neelix do you have children?" Yivcon asked.

"Yes, I do, three of my own and one step-son."

"Can you envision sending them to be assimilated by the Borg?"

"Um, no, I really can't, sorry."

"Don't apologize. What we were doing to our children was unconscionable. No one should ever use their children as canon fodder. I went with her not only so she wouldn't be alone during what would undoubtedly be the most traumatic event in her life, but also because, if I was assimilated as well, I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of what I had done." With this, Yivcon turned away from the men and exited the Mess Hall.

The two men stood in silence for several moments following Yivcon's departure. Neelix broke it, "He is a very brave man."

"I think so as well. I often wish I had done likewise when Icheb was sent away from us the first time. But I didn't, and now, my son won't have anything to do with me."

"Leucon, I know you want to reconcile with Icheb, but you may have to prepare yourself for the possibility that it won't happen."

* * *

Seven had followed Icheb out of the briefing. She caught up with him easily, "Are you going to visit Naomi Wildman?"

"Of course."

"May I accompany you? I want to have a quick word with you."

Icheb stopped and the two faced each other, "What is it?"

"It's about your father…"

"Please Seven, don't tell me I need to forgive him."

"I was going to do no such thing. I suspected people might be telling you that you should forgive and forget. I just wanted you to know, you have every right to shun him. Don't let people push you into doing something with which you aren't comfortable. Some parental misdeeds are insurmountable. Some things just can't be forgiven." With this, she turned and headed back to the Mess Hall. Icheb stood for a minute and watched her walk away.

Her words had helped. He knew she was thinking not only of his parents, but hers as well. Icheb knew she understood what it was to have parents who put their goals ahead of their children's safety.

* * *

He arrived in Naomi and Mary's quarters to find them both relaxing in the living area of their quarters. Icheb sat next to Naomi and held her hand. Mary stood up, "If you two don't mind, I think I am going to take a nap. The doctor's all stressed how important rest was to my healing process." She left the room, went into their bedroom area and closed the door. She was only slightly tired, but she wanted to give the couple some privacy.

"Your roommate is very considerate."

"She is, isn't she? I am supposed to be resting as well." With this, she laid down on the couch putting her head in Icheb's lap. "Is this okay?"

Icheb smiled down at her and stroked her face, "It's fine. I just had an interesting conversation with Seven."

"What about?"

"She came up to me in the corridor and told me I was perfectly justified in not reconciling with my father. Somehow it made me feel better, knowing someone understood."

"Of course she understands. It's for you to decide how you want to proceed with Leucon, no one else's. How did the briefing go?"

"It was fine, but long, we were in there for hours."

"Did Leucon try to talk to you?"

"I didn't give him the chance. As soon as we were dismissed, I left."

The door chime sounded, Naomi sat up and said, "Enter."

Neelix came in and hugged both Naomi and Icheb. "Are you feeling better today? I've been worried about you, both of you."

"I'm fine Neelix, thank you."

"Icheb, about Leucon, I understand if you don't want to talk to him, I really do, but you should at least explain that much to him."

"Neelix please let me handle this my own way."


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount still owns Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and story are mine.

* * *

"Fine Icheb, I won't say anything else on the subject. Well, maybe one last thing, I really think you should at least tell your father you have no intention of reconciling with him." Icheb glared at Neelix, "Well, it isn't an absolute necessity."

Naomi steered the conversation away from the possible argument which was in the making, "Neelix, do you know what I would like? I would really like one of your Jimbalian Fudge cakes with some of your famous blue L'maki nut frosting. Icheb didn't program it into the system because he doesn't love it as much as I do."

"I could make you some cake, and as a matter of fact, I have the ingredients on my ship. Brax also loves Jimbalian Fudge cake. Did I tell you Brax came with me? He is keeping an eye on things on our ship while I'm over here."

"Neelix, why didn't you bring him over? I'd really like to see him again. He was such a cute kid. Do remember the afternoon he and I spent on the holodeck, playing 'Invaders from the Ninth Dimension'? We had so much fun."

"Would you really like to see him?"

"Of course I would Neelix."

He searched the pockets of one of his typically garish jackets and pulled out a communicator. It resembled one of the old style Starfleet communicators. "Neelix to Brax."

A voice which was much deeper than Naomi had expected answered, "Yes Papa Neelix?"

"Son, are you terribly busy? Naomi Wildman is on the Lindbergh, and she would like to see you, if you are free."

"I'm on my way."

"I'll meet you in the Lindbergh's transporter room."

"Would you both like to join me?"

Instead of answering, they both stood up and followed Neelix out of Naomi's quarters.

As the trio entered the transporter room, the crewman in charge was completing the materialization cycle. When the familiar transporter sound faded, there stood a young man who had changed since Naomi had last seen him. He was about 5 centimeters taller than Neelix and rail thin. He bounded off the transporter pad and hugged Naomi, "Hi Naomi, how are you? It's so good to see you."

"Brax, I don't know if you ever met Icheb, he was on Voyager as well."

"No Papa, I didn't meet him. I was with you and Mama, then I went to the holodeck with Naomi." Brax and Icheb exchanged greetings and shook hands.

Brax smiled at Naomi, "I don't suppose there is any chance of us spending some time in one of your holodecks and running that 'Invaders from the Ninth Dimension' program is there? It was so much fun."

"Sorry Brax, although the Lindbergh is larger than Voyager and has a larger crew, we only have one holodeck. Holodeck time has to be booked weeks in advance. Also, since we only have one gymnasium, there aren't many large recreational or common areas where people can gather, which is why our Mess Hall is so popular. We all go there frequently to spend time with our friends. Why don't we go and get some dinner. I know Icheb and Neelix must be hungry after their long briefing today. Besides, it looks to me as if Neelix isn't feeding you enough."

Neelix smiled with pride at his step son as he answered, "Believe me, he gets plenty to eat. He probably eats more than you and Icheb combined. It just doesn't show."

The group made their way to the Mess Hall. Naomi and Brax were chatting amiably. She was asking him about his mother and siblings, and he was expansive in his answers. Dexa and the three younger children were doing well, but she stayed on their home asteroid to take care of his youngest sister who was less than a year old. Another reason being, they were uncertain how long Neelix would be gone, and Dexa felt it would be better for the younger children to stay home where they had more space and access to all their toys.

When they entered the Mess Hall, Brax was asking Naomi how she was recovering from her recent injury. This reminded Icheb, "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

Neelix also seemed to suddenly remember Naomi's recent stay in Sick Bay, "I'm sorry Naomi, we probably shouldn't be dragging you all over the ship, should we?"

"It's fine Neelix, I'll just eat my dinner and then go straight to bed, I promise." This seemed to satisfy both Neelix and Icheb.

Brax told Icheb and Naomi about life on their home asteroid. The miners who had been so problematic for the group of Talaxians had finished their mining in the asteroid field, and then had left the area. They made no further attempts to mine the Talaxian's asteroid after Voyager left. It seemed they were only interested in the asteroid as long as it was defenseless and easy to attack. Once the Talaxians began to defend themselves properly, the miners lost all interest in displacing the colony.

Naomi and Icheb told Neelix and Brax about their recent encounter with Q Junior. How he had lured them off the Lindbergh by using Neelix as bait. The two Talaxians were eager to hear all the particulars of the encounter.

Neelix asked, "So, Q Junior faked the whole situation in order to play matchmaker for you? I can't imagine him doing something like that before he spent time on Voyager. He was rather inconsiderate when he first arrived on Voyager."

"That's quite an understatement. He did ask if you had forgiven him for the 'little incident' he put you through."

"Little incident? Yet another understatement, removing one's vocal chords is hardly something one forgets. But, yes, I forgave him. He was still an unenlightened being at the time. The next time you see him, you may convey my sentiments. I assume you'll see him again. He's seems very fond of you."

"I'm sure we'll see him again. When Captain Dax received orders for this mission, she was dubious, she thought it might be another prank of Q's. We called him and he assuaged her fears."

"Are you saying you have a member of the Q continuum at your beck and call?"

"Not really, he's just a friend, you know that Neelix."

"So, Q Junior played matchmaker and the two of you realized you have feelings for each other? I've heard you are both under strict guidelines laid down by Captain Dax. Is that true?"

Naomi answered her Godfather, "It's true, we're under orders to be discreet. The Captain thought it necessary because of the gossip which was rampant when I arrived on Lindbergh. You know how that is on a starship."

"If you're both happy, then I'm happy for you. However, if you ever hurt my Goddaughter Icheb, I promise I'll come back from the Delta Quadrant and deal with you myself."

"Really Neelix, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. It's sweet of you to worry so about me, but it's unnecessary. Speaking of which, I'm rather tired, I should go back to my quarters and get some of that rest Doctor Franklin prescribed.

"Good night Neelix, Brax it was great seeing you. Icheb, why don't you stay and keep Neelix and Brax company while they finish their meal." She hugged both of the Talaxians and gave Icheb a reassuring smile. It wasn't as if she didn't want to spend time with Icheb, she just wanted to get straight to bed, she was exhausted.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: CBS/Paramount own Voyager and the characters established on the show. The original characters and the story are mine.

* * *

Over the next three weeks, activity on the two Starfleet ships as well as the Borg vessels, once again focused on their mission. The Borg extractions resumed. Neelix and Leucon remained in the area. Neelix wanted to spend some time with his Voyager family, and Leucon was hoping to get an opportunity to speak to Icheb, but Icheb was equally determined not to speak to Leucon.

Finally, a majority of the drones had been freed from their implants, and were making decisions about their future. Once disencumbered from their implants, they realized they needn't come to a consensus to determine their future. They were truly individuals for the first time since their assimilation. They began the process of dividing individuals onto ships based on each of their personal goals for the future. Those who wanted to continue and explore and do scientific research were placed on one ship. Those who wanted to find an uninhabited planet and start their own community were placed on another ship. The individuals who wished to go home were placed on yet another ship. The freedom of choice offered them by the extraction process was liberating for them. As more drones finished their procedures, they were then able to assist in the process, thereby speeding it up.

Todd was given an in depth tour of Voyager by Neelix, who was distressed to learn his galley had been reconfigured back to a typical Starfleet Mess Hall. His cooking area was once again the Captain's Mess, and the only way to prepare food was through replicators. The tour took some time because Todd was constantly asking questions about specific locations on the ship and about specific missions during Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant.

Naomi was still working in Sick Bay coordinating the work and data on the Borg procedures, but her work was quickly coming to an end. Since the Brunali fleet, and Icheb's mother were no longer in the immediate vicinity, Icheb had resumed his bridge duties.

* * *

Because the crews of both ships had been working so diligently combined with the fact they were almost finished, they all had more free time on their hands. The ship Kadis Kot tournament was held as usual, and some of the Voyager crew participated as well. Naomi didn't enter this time, she felt like being an observer rather than a participant. It wasn't surprising the final match was between Icheb and Seven of Nine. In the semi final matches, Icheb had beaten Neelix while Seven defeated Vorik. The Lindbergh crew members who attended the tournament were seeing some of the Voyager crew for the first time, and those who had worked with them during the mission were getting their first opportunity to see them in a relaxed and informal setting. The crowd was enjoying the rapid play between Icheb and Seven. Neelix had prepared a Jimbalian fudge cake with blue L'maki nut frosting at Naomi's request, it was a recipe of Neelix' which Icheb hadn't programmed into the Lindbergh's replicator system. With the strain of the attack over, and the hard work of the Borg mission winding down, the Mess Hall was filled with a party atmosphere during the tournament.

Mary leaned in toward Naomi, "I have a question about Seven of Nine."

"Okay, what?"

"It's her name. All the other former Borg go by their names, not their Borg designations. I mean, she smiles, laughs and acts mostly human, why does she still go by Seven of Nine? She acts human, she is human, so why not use her name?"

"For one thing, she was assimilated very young, and spent almost two decades as a Borg, it's what she was called for a long time. Also, and this is just an educated guess, she still feels some animosity against her parents. It was their actions which were directly responsible for her being assimilated. I don't think she has ever forgiven them for that. She told Icheb, when she surmised people were advising him to reconcile with his father, that some things just couldn't be forgiven and he had every right not to forgive his father. I think she empathizes with him because both of them were assimilated because of their parent's actions."

"Sounds logical to me. Right now though, she doesn't look too sympathetic towards the Kadis Kot King. She seems to be defeating him fairly easily."

Brax approached the two women after he finished a conversation he was having with Tom Paris, undoubtedly about his latest HoloNovel. "Naomi, it looks like your boyfriend is about to lose."

"Maybe, but don't count him out just yet."

As soon as the words left her lips, Seven made a decisive move and announced her win, "Kadis Kot."

Mary looked at Naomi, "Now can we count him out?"

"I suppose you'll have to."

Mary was smiling as widely, "I can't believe it, the undefeated Icheb has lost two tournaments in a row. I never thought I'd live to see it."

* * *

While most of the two Starfleet crews were in the Lindbergh's Mess Hall watching the Kadis Kot tournament, and enjoying a well deserved break, Admiral Janeway and Captain Dax had joined Chakotay in Voyager's Captain's Mess. Their mood was not as buoyant as the rest of their crews.

"Kathryn, I really think Voyager should pursue the Brunali fleet. I doubt Yifay is done either with us or the Borg."

"I agree, it's almost a certainty she will crop up again somewhere. That being said, I don't want to disburse the fleet here just yet."

Dax asked the Admiral, "What is your plan? How are we going to deal with the Brunali threat?"

"We're going to continue to refine and fortify the defenses which Neelix and Leucon brought us, but I somehow doubt we've seen all of the Brunali's capabilities. No, until none of our ships, including the Borg, are vulnerable, I want the fleet to stay together."

Chakotay replied, "I will conform to your actions, Admiral. What about Neelix and Leucon? Are they going to stay in the area?"

"I realize I have no official authority over Neelix, and Leucon's motivation for staying in the area is obvious, but they are both willing to stay until we have completely finished our work here. Their smaller ships are ideal for patrolling, keeping a watch out for a Brunali return. Captains, how much longer until the Borg extractions are complete, and each Borg vessel is equipped with the appropriate supplies for their unique missions?"

Chakotay answered, "The Doc says another week, two at the most. With all the extra help they are receiving from the already transformed Borg, the process is accelerating at a rapid pace."

"I think we should spend that time working on improving our defenses against a further Brunali attack. Let's just hope I'm being paranoid."

Dax answered the Admiral, "From what I have seen of Commander Icheb's mother, it seems prudent to prepare for further attacks. She is more than a little unbalanced."

Chakotay smiled one of his more charming smiles, "There is a quaint old Earth expression I once heard which describes Yifay's mental health perfectly, bug nuts."

Janeway and Dax were both smiling as well, Dax was the first to speak, "I don't know _what_ that means, but it sounds about right to me."

* * *

The Kadis Kot tournament had been over for an hour, but the Mess Hall was just as full as it had been during the matches. People were milling around talking and laughing and really having fun, a marked contrast to the relentless pace the crews on both ships had been sustaining for so long.

Seven, Voyager's EMH, Icheb, Naomi, Mary, Todd and Threm were sitting at a table enjoying their beverages when Naomi looked to a table in the corner and narrowed her eyes until they were almost closed. Icheb noticed this and followed her gaze to its source. "Ahh, I see the reason for your concern. Doc, what do you think they're up to?" He pointed to the table at which Naomi and he were looking.

After glancing in the direction indicated, the EMH said, "I don't know, but it might just be safer to go to red alert."

Todd and Threm looked perplexed. Seven, once noticing what had drawn the others attention, elaborated, "It is never a good sign when Mr. Paris and Commander Kim are hunched in a corner by themselves and whispering. We must all be prepared for anything."

The EMH rose, "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." As the Doc approached their table, both Harry and Tom sat straighter and put on their most innocent expressions. "Yes Doc?"

The Doctor asked them both, "Is anything about to blow up?"

Harry did his best to look deeply affronted, "Doctor, whatever would make you ask such a strange question?"

"Perhaps it was the conspicuously hushed conversation you were just having."

It was Tom's turn to look insulted, "Would you believe we were just brainstorming ideas for a HoloNovel?"

"No, I wouldn't, what are you two plotting?"

Harry answered, he seemed slightly embarrassed, "We were planning a trip to Voyager's holodeck. We think Captain Proton and Buster Kincaid should have a long overdue adventure."

"Are you serious, then why all the hushed tones?"

"We didn't think it would be, you know, dignified if people overheard us discussing imagizers and rocket ships."

"You're probably right."

Tom and Harry both stood, "We'll see you later Doc."

"Certainly, good luck saving the universe once again from Dr. Chaotica."

The EMH returned to the table, "It was nothing, they are off to secure the galaxy from the evil clutches of Dr. Chaotica and his army of doom, or whatever it is."

Seven looked dubious, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm not sure, we are talking about Tom and Harry after all. I am going to check with Voyager in a few minutes and make sure they're in the holodeck, just to be safe."

When the activity in the Mess Hall slowed down, Icheb and Naomi said their good nights to everyone and went to Icheb's quarters. Icheb ordered two glasses of champagne from his replicator. He lifted his glass, "Here's to us, and to having our Voyager family with us once again, even if it is only briefly."

Naomi touched her glass to Icheb's, "It's been great having them all here hasn't it?"

"It really has." He put his arm around Naomi and pulled her toward him. "It's made this fiasco with my parents bearable. I don't know what I would have done if you and the others weren't here to remind me what true family means. For me, it has nothing to do with heredity. The only true family I've ever had was with the Voyager crew, and you. I love you Naomi Wildman, did you know that?"

"I did, and I love you as well."

The End

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the hits and reviews for this story, your feedback has been wonderful and I truly appreciate it. This is the end of this Naomi and Icheb story. I have another one I will be starting in December after I finish with my NaNoWriMo story. Don't worry, anything left dangling in this story will be addressed in the next. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.


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